Moving from service to sustainable services: a healthcare case study
International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management
ISSN: 1741-0401
Article publication date: 1 January 2021
Issue publication date: 8 April 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Worldwide, healthcare systems struggle to sustain the delivery of services at a time of increasing demand, limited resources and growing expectations from users, coupled with dealing with the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and the threat of other outbreaks. There has never been a more important time to sustain innovation and improvements. Using an illustrative case, the authors assess the application of two existing frameworks to identify the key propositions and dimensions required to deliver sustainable services.
Design/methodology/approach
This illustrative case study focuses on a service provided by a chronic disease, multidisciplinary community healthcare team in the UK. Experienced-based interviews were conducted with health professionals, patients and relatives to provide a rich account of a care pathway design. A high-level process map is used to visualise the key touch points.
Findings
The authors identify all seven propositions of the SERVICE framework being present along with additional dimensions relating to sustaining innovation and improvement.
Research limitations/implications
This research is limited to a chronic disease care pathway. However, the authors believe the results could be applicable to other medical conditions, which are supported by a similar multi-disciplinary service delivery model.
Practical implications
The authors provide a sustainable public service operations SERVICES framework for health professionals and managers to consider when (re)designing care pathways.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the emerging discipline of public service operations research by empirically testing for the first time the SERVICE framework within healthcare. The authors have included additional factors associated with innovation and improvement and recommended further development of the framework to include factors, such as economic sustainability, highly relevant to the context of universal healthcare systems.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank all participants that took part in the study and the Health Foundation who partially funded this fieldwork.
Citation
Williams, S.J. and Radnor, Z.J. (2022), "Moving from service to sustainable services: a healthcare case study", International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 71 No. 4, pp. 1126-1148. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-12-2019-0583
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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