Challenge: An organisation that provides health care services had the requirement for the implementation and evaluation of a clinical service delivery model that had been previously developed. Stockwell Bretton was engaged to manage this transition; providing implementation and change management support to staff located in over 20 centres nationally.

Solution: Partnering with Subject Matter Experts Stockwell Bretton developed a range of tools and templates to support implementation and national standardisation of this model. To support the change we analysed existing practices against those required under the new model and used this information to develop a pre-implementation guide for stakeholders. Throughout the planning period we conducted regular workshops with stakeholders; these workshops used to promote information sharing and providing a platform for staff to share the challenges they faced and solutions they adopted to resolve these. Stockwell Bretton worked closely with the leadership teams throughout this planning phase, briefing on implementation readiness.

To support enhanced internal capability we developed a training program and delivered this to key staff nationally during implementation. This training focused on upskilling staff on the model and resolve any residual issues faced. During these visits we reviewed adopted practices to ensure alignment with the model’s intent and provided recommendations for efficiencies that could be gained. We also worked to increase community awareness of the changes; developing a range of communication materials that provided detail about the changes and expected benefits, and supported consistent messaging throughout the change.

Result: Through active planning for transition, building internal capability during implementation and promoting consistent change messaging the new model for service delivery was able to be implemented across all facilities during a two month period, with limited disruption to service. Feedback on the model and its implementation has identified that even staff who were initially reluctant about the change have found benefits in the model; wait times have reduced and patients are receiving improved clinical care. Additional benefits relating to resourcing and service usage have also been realised through the increased data capture, monitoring and reporting that has been implemented as part of the new model; providing the organisation with stronger workforce planning capability moving forward.