Partnering for quicker, streamlined access to mental health services
SEMPHN worked with Toyota to develop a problem solving culture that would reduce consumer referral wait times within the Access & Referral team.
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As part of Toyota’s Production System Support Centre’s (TSSC) commitment to supporting community and not-for-profit organisations, SEMPHN partnered with Toyota to work on the challenge faced by our Access & Referral (A&R) team in managing wait times for consumers seeking mental health services.
Recognising the need to provide more timely access to services, SEMPHN and Toyota embarked on a continuous improvement project, working together over a period of three months with a dedicated project team to problem solve and find effective solutions.
The Toyota team worked with SEMPHN to embed a problem-solving culture, which focused on:
- being relentlessly customer first
- recognising that people are our most important asset
- ‘Kaizen’ continuous improvement (continuous, incremental process changes that sustain a high level of efficiency)
- ‘shop floor’ focus – working with people on the ground who do the work.
Key to the success of the project was having members of the A&R team involved – the “shop floor” team - who understood the issues and processes thoroughly and were able to roll out and test the incremental improvements during the project.
The project team identified bottlenecks and ways to maximise service provision. Using a series of TSSC tools and activities, SEMPHN and Toyota developed specific techniques to reduce the average consumer referral wait times within the A&R team.
This project closely aligned to SEMPHN’s strategy pillars of ‘Consumer-focused healthcare’ and ‘Excellence and sustainability’.
“It’s all about not seeing problems as a negative. Instead, it’s about seeing problems or issues as opportunities to 'value add' – embracing the positive side of challenges."
– Liz, SEMPHN staff member
The team initially worked to reduce pending referrals by maximising available capacity. By optimising resource allocation and streamlining workflows, the team ensured efficient processing of referrals, addressing the referral backlog systematically.
"A key takeaway was the importance of every process needing to be consistent and standardised to allow continuous flow of work across the team.”
– Rhiannon, SEMPHN staff member
A detailed analysis and visualisation of the capacity of SEMPHN commissioned mental health providers was another critical aspect of the project. This allowed the team to gain further insights into the use of resources, to allocate them more effectively, resulting in more efficient access to services for consumers.
The project team analysed and suggested ways to make processes more efficient, which helped the A&R team increase the number of referrals processed for consumers each day. This helped the team to maximise its referrals to services with available capacity, or to provide information about alternative support services much quicker. As a result, the A&R team was able to respond to referrals and enquiries much faster, to meet the growing demand for mental health support in a timely manner and help consumers to better access services and supports when they need it most.
“Visualising the problem and agreeing on strategies to solve the problem was imperative. It helped make continuous small changes over time.”
– Renee, SEMPHN staff member
“Having information presented in a clear and simple format uncovered hidden learnings and empowered the team to work towards an achievable goal. It also allowed the team to see the value of their work.”
– Adele, SEMPHN staff member
The outcomes of the project were remarkable:
reduction in daily outstanding referrals in service queue
reduction in length of time for referrals
referrals processed daily
All referrals processed within 24–72 hours
Today, SEMPHN continues to meet the project's daily average target for contacting consumers about referrals within 24-72 hours, demonstrating the project's long-term impact.
This success translates into significant benefits for consumers and healthcare providers alike. Consumers now experience reduced processing times which contributed to their overall waiting times, receiving quicker information and access to the types of services they need. Healthcare providers are also better informed about consumer referrals, enabling them to plan and allocate resources proactively and seek alternate care for their consumers if needed.
In instances where capacity constraints exist, the A&R team endeavour to provide referrers with alternative services at an earlier stage. This not only reduces potential waiting times for consumers but also enhances their ability to find an appropriate service more promptly.
This project exemplifies the power of collaboration to transform healthcare services. The achievements of this project pave the way for further enhancements, ensuring a more equitable and sustainable healthcare system for all residents.
SEMPHN's partnership with Toyota supports our commitment to consumer-focused healthcare, customer centricity and our vision of promoting healthier lives in southeast Melbourne. SEMPHN will continue to embed this culture of continuous improvement, using the skills and tools provided by Toyota.
Up next:
Providing valuable education opportunities for healthcare workers
Every second month, SEMPHN hosts free Practice Network Meetings for practice managers and practice nurses who relish the opportunity to learn from key speakers and network with their peers.
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