Increasing Productivity In Social Services Sector Has Hidden Benefits: Experts
SINGAPORE: The government recently announced that it will help companies in the social services sector boost their productivity level. Some social service organisations have already embarked on their productivity journeys, with projects driven by staff in a bottom-up approach.
At the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), patients who have sustained lower leg injuries or undergone knee replacement surgery are encouraged to prop their legs up. This will help them reduce swelling.
However, the chairs used were uncomfortable as they were not of the right height, and storing them was a problem.
The solution: A detachable, cushioned leg elevator. When attached to the bed, the patient can simply adjust the height of the bed to lift her leg. The device was created by a multidisciplinary team comprising doctors, nurses and therapists from SGH.
Nidu Maran, an advanced practice nurse at SGH, said: “The length of stay for a patient is much shorter than before, because the swelling subsides much faster. Apart from this, there is a lot of savings for the hospital from this project. Because the shorter length of stay means we are able to manage acute patients much better for the turnaround of beds.
“Historically, most patients after surgery tend to get out of bed much later. Our main aim was to get patients out of bed as early as we can, so that they can start walking much faster. Having patients in the bed for prolonged periods gave them a lot more complications and increased their length of stay in the hospitals.”
Patients now stay an average of three days, instead of five.
It costs about S$350 to produce one leg elevator. The team behind it hopes to bring the cost down to S$100 through mass production. The team said the total savings for each of its orthopaedic wards has been more than S$23,000 so far.
Hoping to get a leg up on innovative work culture, 80 members from the labour movement also visited the hospital to learn more about its productivity drive.
Productivity through innovations such as the leg elevators are not just about quantifiable savings. With the social services sector set to join in the government’s productivity drive, industry players said the hidden social benefits are important as well.
Diana Chua, NTUC President and General Secretary of the Healthcare Services Employees Union, said: “The quantifiable thing is that your patients are better cared for. That is a reward for yourself.
“From an organisation point of view, when you get a customer that’s happy and well looked after, these are words that your customer will speak bountifully for you. And when your customers start recommending their friends to your place of work, at the end of the day, that’s a win for everybody.”
NTUC said it hopes to share learning points with other organisations in the social services sector.
-CNA/ac
Channel News Asia