For Oxleas NHS Trust, 2010/11 will be the first year of a three year ?25m project to further modernise the mental health and learning disability facilities at the Memorial and Goldie Leigh Hospitals in South East London.This project allows for the redevelopment, re-provision and relocation of a range of adult and older adult mental health and learning disability services in modern, fit for purpose facilities. Continue reading
9 Obvious and Not-So-Obvious Health Hazards
Knowing the Risks Can Help You Protect Yourself
Today, it seems almost everything is bad for us. In the past, eating hamburgers rare, getting a suntan or sitting in a restaurant’s smoking section was not considered a health hazard. Now studies suggest such seemingly benign activities can put us at increased risk for E. coli poisoning, skin cancer and lung cancer.
Cash Boost For The Mental Health Estate, Part 1
“These capital allocations support the ?64billion revenue allocations made to the NHS in 2006/07. These levels of growth will help deliver modern, safe and efficient services across the NHS.
“I know that there are pressures in a small minority of trusts and I have taken decisive action to help turn around the finances of those trusts with the greatest problems. We cannot let this divert from the continued need for investment and modernisation across the NHS as a whole. If the financial situation in some areas dictates that the full programme of investment is not possible in 2006/7, capital funding is not lost: it will be made available in subsequent years for affordable projects which demonstrate value for money for the taxpayer. This allows trusts to plan their finances properly and consider the impact of our recent White Paper on their capital investment plans, such as any longer-term plans to build community hospitals. Continue reading
Drive by traffic sites before venturing out
In this hurry-up economy, ever increasing amounts of current information are being linked to the Internet. You can use a lot of this data to plan your time better, particularly in commuting and travelling.
Over the past 20 years, provincial and municipal governments have invested heavily in technology within major urban centers that permits them to monitor traffic conditions. Continue reading
Two Clubs in One
“Two clubs in one” (alternate day & co-ed workout floors)
What is the largest market for fitness centers? It’s what Excel Fitness defines as “deconditioned” — people who are not committed to fitness and are intimidated by those who are. So how does a facility attract the deconditioned if they are afraid to walk in the door of a place where everyone else is educated and experienced in fitness? Continue reading
Equipment Choice
The first consideration in developing group cycling classes is providing the stationary cycles.
The popular instructor-paced classes started with fixed-cam exercise bikes. A fixed cam does not allow the rider to stop pedaling and coast. It employs the physical principle called inertia — when you start to slow down a little, it gives you that extra little push to keep your legs in motion. The rider can go very fast with little or no tension without the bike wheel rotating too fast for the pedal action to keep pace. Continue reading
Fantasy Episode
During this episode, Jake spoke truth but was called a Snake. Brian and Clay went on a date. Penny bagged her tribemate. And lots of gratuitous violence to boost ratings. Due to mild boredom, I’ve completely made up an entire episode just to entertain myself. (I provide a recap, as well. Just in case.) Continue reading
Employee Efficiency Experts, Part 2
The goal, according to program manager Christine Kane Haskins, is to do more with less. “The Health and Fitness Program is viewed as a valuable benefit to employees,” she says. “However, we are challenged to demonstrate the on-going value to the customer and corporation. With our revenue-driven and cost-avoidance programs, we continue to meet productivity goals of doing more with less and lowering operating costs, without increasing costs to members or decreasing services.” Continue reading
Employee Efficiency Experts, Part 1
From January 2010 to the present, AlliedSignal Fitness Center has conducted a systematic search for the operational pitfalls that encourage inefficiency. To do this, the center has enlisted its employees as efficiency experts. Each quarter, someone in the organization is appointed “Operational Excellence Investigator.” The investigator’s task is to sniff out unnecessary paperwork, outmoded procedures and anything else that may result in duplicated or valueless work.
“One investigator found that our staff spent one to two hours of nonvalued or added work reviewing and filing exercise prescription cards at the end of each shift,” says program manager Christine Kane Haskins. “A new system was instituted to cut down on filing time and increase time spent with new members. Now, staff contacts, reviews and updates the exercise prescription while the member is exercising. If the member is not a high risk, he or she files their own card.”
Another discovery saved the center $200 annually in copy fees. The habit of photographing material that had already been photocopied was resulting in even poorer copies. An “Originals Binder” was instituted in which documents protected by plastic sheets were available for copying. Tags addressing the specific characteristics of the material, i.e., size and color, were added to the sheets, further reducing the potential for error.
According to Haskins, the system allows for a constant inspection of all the processes and procedures in the center. The decrease in nonvalue work increases the amount of quality time the staff spends with clients and also leaves time to design additional programs and innovations.
Douglas Graham
Increasing revenue, decreasing costs
Since January 2010, AlliedSignal has sought to decrease its health program operating budget by increasing both revenue-driven and cost-avoidance programs. This is accomplished through a detailed accounting process.
AlliedSignal’s revenue-driven programs include one-on-one personal training for fitness center members. Fees for this training are scaled to salary. Interns work as non-paid attendants, while full-time staffers provide training. The company also offers a karate program and on-site massage, both provided for a nominal fee.
Cost-avoidance programs include weekly fitness classes for employee dependents, prenatal exercises for employees, stretch breaks and quarterly injury prevention workshops. Operating costs for these programs are considered cost-saving, since they would be expensive if purchased in the fitness marketplace.
Alternative Therapies and the Dumbing Down of American Medicine
While the rising costs of healthcare and the increasing role of health maintenance organizations in its delivery have been subjects of ongoing vigorous public debate, the insidious dumbing down of American medicine has only barely caused a stir. Continue reading