high quality speech and language services for richmond preschoolers.... now with less than half the...
TRANSCRIPT
High Quality Speech and Language Services for Richmond Preschoolers
… now with less than
half the wait!!
Andrea Gates, M.Sc., RSLP Richmond Public Health
Speech and Language Program
Disclosure Statement I am an employee of Vancouver Coastal
Health. I have no relevant financial or non-
financial relationships in the services described in this presentation.
This is a story about a team …
who cut wait times by 50%.
Once Upon a Time (circa September 2010)
Engaged team
Consistent staffing
Growing community
capacity
Initiatives to improve access to services
Wait times for ongoing services were about 1 year.
Importance of Early Intervention • Investments in early language development
benefit future language abilities, literacy, socialization and behaviour.
The Art of Possibility
“What might I now invent, that I haven’t yet invented,
that would give me other choices?”
From “The Art of Possibility” by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander, Penguin Books, 2000
Ideal State
• services provided match client needs
• wait times meet national guidelines
• no family has a reason to be dissatisfied with
timeliness and quality of services provided
• parents feel empowered to help child while waiting for services
Know What You’re Facing Clinical Pathways
Tools • Trained all team members in
Lean problem solving tools
Team • Increased staffing – speech language & social work • Capitalized on already engaged team
Time • Dedicated time semi-annually (recently two full days with entire team) to
visioning/quality improvement • Piloting dedicated weekly or biweekly time saved in everyone’s schedules
for quality improvement project work
Wait Time Target Smashed! Target of 48 weeks, result of 24 weeks
Wait Time for SLP Services
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Sept2012
Oct 2012 Dec 2012 Jan 2013 Feb 2013 March2013
April 2013
Wai
t Tim
e (W
eeks
)
Sustainment
Waitlist
again
SLP services on demand
Continuous Improvement
Keys to Success
• Involve team • Collect and use data • Leadership support • “Goal is zero; target is improvement” • Problem solving tools and time to apply • Plan, Do, Study, Act … but don’t forget to DO
Questions & Discussion
It’s not about what it is, it’s about what it can become.
Dr. Seuss