Background
A Scottish NHS Health Board was committed to improving mental health care across inpatient and community services but lacked consistent productivity measures. This made it difficult to optimise services or ensure timely patient care. The Health Board partnered with Meridian to build capability and improve system performance.
Analysis
A three-week diagnostic highlighted poor discharge planning, inconsistent care plans, and reduced patient contact time. Inefficiencies existed across wards and community teams due to unclear accountability and limited access to performance data.
Implementation
Meridian installed a new management reporting system and supported its integration with electronic care planning. Structured daily and weekly reviews enabled teams to track caseloads more effectively, manage discharges proactively, and increase time spent with patients.
Results
The programme achieved a 21% reduction in length of stay and generated £1.4M in annual savings. Patient flow improved across the system, and staff had better visibility of their workload and performance expectations.
