In a previous article, in the September 2010 edition of Health Estate Journal, “Is multi-million pound backlog a reality”, independent consultant to the healthcare sector, Dr Melvyn Langford, highlighted what he claimed was a “fundamental flaw” in the way the established NHS “5 x 5 criticality grid” used to assess the urgency of backlog maintenance had been interpreted for many years by estates personnel, resulting, he said, in one Trust with a reported £12 million backlog in fact only having a £0.5 m “backlog issue”.
Here he describes an alternative methodology, recently successfully tested with several pilot NHS sites, which he says corrects this flaw, and could have “major implications” for estates and facilities personnel under unprecedented pressure to cut costs.
When compared against the existing national guidance, the outputs from the pilots recently undertaken identified a financial backlog approximately 60% lower than had been calculated using the traditional “5 x 5” grid, while the revised method for accurately identifying backlog maintenance also demonstrated the following advantages:
• It is cheaper, quicker, and simpler to understand, implement, and administer. r It protects patient safety and business viability via greater accuracy in relation to the identification and prioritisation of maintenance needs.
• It increases the robustness of the audit trail.
• It uses existing information and builds upon its value.
Log in or register FREE to read the rest
This story is Premium Content and is only available to registered users. Please log in at the top of the page to view the full text.
If you don't already have an account, please register with us completely free of charge.
