PURPOSE:
To improve postnatal care provision at Kings College Hospital by examining various issues: Cost saving challenge of £3,000,000 within our healthcare division, improve staff sickness levels, reduce patient complaints, patient adverse incidents, and to navigate solutions to dense urban working with traffic congestion.

DISCUSSION:
Staff and patient complaints were high in the postnatal period 2022-2023, with high staff sickness rates due to back issues from carrying heavy equipment. Adverse Incidents of missed appointments for essential visits and care, for example, missed neonatal screening opportunities. Pre-implementation, patient surveys showed general dissatisfaction with their home visit schedule, patients advised they had to stay in all day for their midwife. Pre implementation, staff surveys reported excessive travel times between short distances due to traffic congestion in Central London.

EVIDENCE WHERE RELEVANT:
The recommendation of postnatal clinics was put forward to the senior team and community staff. Similar clinics run at neighboring trusts due to high vacancy. King's vacancy was not high, but other issues compound the introduction. SPC finance charts showed a vast improvement when fewer staff traveled into the community using petrol expenses, permits, and travelcards. Finance data showed a saving of £70,000 across staff expenses alone. Sickness rates remained similar, but the theme changed from 'work-related stress' to 'non-work-related stress'. Adverse incidents of missed essential home visits and care dropped from a peak of 4 per month to the lowest of 0 in two months in 2023

KEY MESSAGE:
What went well? Staff satisfaction significantly improves when logistical burdens (like travel and scheduling) are reduced. Patient safety and experience benefit from structured clinic pathways. Financial savings can be achieved through small operational changes (reducing travel costs). Engagement with stakeholders and patients is crucial for successful implementation. What would I have done differently? Earlier engagement with patients to improve feedback collection. More robust digital tools for surveys and feedback to reduce reliance on face-to-face methods. Poster session 2 (Group A)