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The Pride and Joy software - the whole system operational and analysis tool

02-Jan-2017



Improving patient flow across the whole system - simultaneously within the parts, between the links and across the whole




In the latter chapters of Pride and Joy is reference to the software used to achieve the primary objective of operations: to improve patient flow. With improved flow patients move through their care pathway more quickly with much less or no delay; significant reductions in lengths of stay are achieved and hidden, ‘free’ capacity is released. With improved flow and more capacity, access targets can be more reliably and consistently achieved and more patients on the waiting list can be treated within the current resource envelope. A reduction in length of stay means patients spend less time in hospital and receive higher quality care, with clinical staff able to focus on the delivery of care rather than the management of queues and delay. With the release of hidden capacity also comes strategic choice.


The Pride and Joy software connects the patient’s journey across the health system – from admission to an Emergency department, through the assessment units, the wards/units and discharge or ongoing care in other parts of the system such as the community and mental health environments. 


The Pride and Joy software does two things simultaneously. The front-facing, user-friendly Pride and Joy operational tool is the ‘robust and trustworthy mechanism’ described in the book and has been built using leading technology. It shows each member of staff the tasks they need to carry out and, most importantly, the order in which they need to do them for the benefit of all patients and the affordability of care for all. It highlights to staff early in a patient’s journey when they are the resource most likely to cause the patient to be delayed so that corrective actions can be taken during the patient’s journey rather than being a costly delay at the end of the journey. The Theory of Constraints (TOC) time-based buffer management principles have been further developed and adapted by Alex Knight to the healthcare environment and built into the software. This front-facing element of the software provides the individual and system-wide answer for all staff, 24/7, to the critical patient flow question:


'Of all the patients I could focus on next, 
which patient should I focus on next?'


The second part of the software is Analytocs, a TOC-based cause-and-effect analysis tool.  Also designed and developed by Alex Knight and the QFI software team, Analytocs is in some ways the most powerful element of the software. Sitting behind the front-facing Pride and Joy tool, Analytocs cuts through the seeming complexity of the whole health system and enables live cause-and-effect analysis to be carried out to identify and validate the size of disruption or delay being caused by a particular part of the system and/or behaviour of a group/resource, and from this verify the size of outcome that will be achieved across the system through a specific change in operational practice. Because the front-facing operational tool follows patients’ journeys across the whole system, analysis can be carried out at a whole-system level. This analysis provides healthcare leadership with the answer to the question:


'Of all the things I could try and improve, 
what will have the greatest impact on the service as a whole?'

«Back


Pride and Joy software tool

23-Aug-2017 

"The software is easy to navigate and the support offered by the QFI development team in helping us adapt it to the needs of the services has been invaluable. It's use as both ..

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Pride and Joy in mental health

01-Aug-2017 

Improving patient flow through the whole system The Pride and Joy approach was implemented in June 2017 on a sixteen-bedded psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU) ba..

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Pride and Joy in mental health

01-Jul-2017 

"Since we started using the Pride and Joy approach five years ago, it has provided a structured approach to the day-to-day workings of the units. The focused and transparent ap..

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The Pride and Joy in-community solution

01-Jan-2017 

Following analysis and research of the community services setting, the Pride and Joy in-community-based services and production of the supporting software ..

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Pride and Joy AnalyTOCs - the tool to conduct live analysis of patient flow across the whole system

02-Jan-2017 

Identifying and validating the area and operational practice causing the most damage to the most patients across the whole system The Theory of Constraints..

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The Pride and Joy software - the whole system operational and analysis tool

02-Jan-2017 

Improving patient flow across the whole system - simultaneously within the parts, between the links and across the whole In the latter chapters of Pride and Joy..

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Read Pride and Joy, written by QFI Partner, Alex Knight

01-Jan-2017 

After researching and applying the Theory of Constraints (TOC) in health and social care, we are delighted to announce the publication of Pride and Joy. "This ..

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The Pride and Joy detailed strategy and tactics implementation map

01-Dec-2016 

The detailed strategy and tactics to provide exceptionally high-quality, safe and timely care, a rewarding working environment for all, and significantly improve a healthcare sy..

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Achieving the four-hour access target for the first time in eighteen months

16-Nov-2015 

I contacted the QFI team one Sunday afternoon immediately after reading Pride and Joy and within an hour Alex himself replied direct to my email. We quickly teamed up and their..

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Community Hospitals NHS Trust, England

12-Jan-2015 

New Zealand professor visits dementia friendly unit, Willow House "This approach gives you confidence that, whatever action you take, it is in the knowledge that ev..

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NHS Acute Trust, England

01-Aug-2014 

12-week pilot in General Medicine. Two wards achieved a 40% reduction in length of stay with a further two wards achieving a 30% and 25% reduction respectively. ..

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Community Trust, England

01-Apr-2014 

A downward trend of up to 50% reduction in length of stay within twelve weeks of implementation, allowing the trust to treat more patients within current capacity wh..

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Community Health Services Trust, England

07-Mar-2014 

"QFI Discharge Jonah has continued to demonstrate its significant potential for improving system efficiency as we have rolled it out across our community therapy and intermedia..

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Clinical leadership programme

31-May-2013 

How a ground-breaking programme of leadership training designed to improve quality, safety and financial management at a challenged NHS trust has helped to transform ..

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Mental Health Trust, England

16-Mar-2014 

How a mental health trust improved quality of care, reduced lengths of stay and created essential bed capacity using the QFI Discharge Jonah approach In a mental health..

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Community Health Services and Clinical Commissioning Group

17-May-2013 

How a unifying, patient-led theory is improving quality of care, reducing length of stay and driving inter-agency performance in Derbyshire Together, Derbyshire Commun..

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General Hospital, England

27-Jun-2012 

September to December 2011 • Reduction in length of stay of 20% Kettering General Hospital (KGH) provides acute hospital services to an urban/rural popul..

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Mental Health Trust, England

22-May-2012 

February to April 2012 • Reduction in length of stay of 48% in 6 weeks St Ann's Hospital is part of Barnet Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust (BEH-..

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Acute hospital, The Netherlands

23-Mar-2012 

18% reduction in length of stay across four surgical inpatient units and 14% reduction across two orthopaedic inpatient units, in just four months Amphia Ziekenhui..

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Community Health Services Trust, England

06-Jan-2011 

Overall length of stay across 12 community hospitals reduced from 35 to 22 days (37%), with resulting savings on excess bed days of £0.9m (2008/09), rising to over &..

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Community Hospital, England

12-Jan-2011 

Multi-disciplinary team wins Trust award for reducing length of stay from 45 to 20 days in 4 months ... and then went on to reduce this further over the following 18 months ..

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QFI Outpatient solution

23-Sep-2011 

A solution that enables staff to arrange appointments based on what is best for a patient's clinical need rather than on the next available appointment time. Any sing..

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QFI-Elective-Jonah

13-Sep-2011 

Many health and social care systems are under increasing pressure to carry out more surgical operations while keeping within their available resources and budgets. QF..

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QFI Video - achieving a breakthrough in performance

28-Dec-2011 

In this short video we hear from representatives of Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals and Derbyshire Community Hospitals about their experience of the QFI-Jonah approach and the ..

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