The Changing NHS

Last week I sat in on a NHS senior management team meeting. It lasted 3.5 hours.This established team accomplished 80% of their business in the first 90 minutes then they allowed themselves to take two hours for the remaining items. This meant that eight people spent the equivalent of 16 hours discussing 4 agenda items. Two items couldn’t be resolved because the necessary information wasn’t available yet. They will be back on the table in a fortnight’s time. One item was something that someone not present needed to resolve and one item could have been dealt with by 2 of the people present, outside the meeting.

Why does this happen? Is it just a case of needing better meeting skills or is it something more deeply engrained within the culture of NHS management? If it’s the latter then the following ideas for spending less unnecessary time in meetings may not help:

1. Cap meetings at 60 minutes for the next 3 times you meet. Then, and only then, review whether meeting time needs to be extended in future. You might get to like this more action orientated way of working.
2. Work out the average number of agenda items your meeting has dealt with over the last 6 meetings. Now set an agenda item cap at half this number and reduce the time available by one third. Find other ways to deal with the displaced items, or maybe watch as they mysteriously disappear
3. Calculate how much money your meetings cost. Not the opportunity costs, just the actual costs - number of people x average salaries/pension costs per hour x number of hours in the meeting - At the start of the next meeting share the answer with colleagues and ask if there could be more effective way to get things done.
4. Start and stop meetings on time. Scott Berkun  has 5 great tips to help you do this.
5. If all else fails, take a more draconian approach. According to CIO Insight, Wallmart Stores Inc has introduced standing only meetings, with Blackberries left at the door – “to cut to the chase.”

Is time spent in meetings generally time well spent in your organisation? What tips do you have to help NHS managers use time in meetings more effectively?

Steve

www.stevepashley.co.uk

teams

nhs

meetings