Hadyn Ingram and Terry Desombre
Teamworking is a multi‐dimensional concept which has gained recent popularity and some success in manufacturing, but there is little evidence that large numbers of firms in the…
Abstract
Teamworking is a multi‐dimensional concept which has gained recent popularity and some success in manufacturing, but there is little evidence that large numbers of firms in the service sector have espoused teamworking methods. This paper explores this dilemma by comparing academic perceptions of teamworking, through a review of the literature, with a study of the perceptions of practitioners. Although much has been written about group behaviour, the more recent literature on teamworking is inconclusive and is often derived from anecdotal rather than empirical research. Using information obtained from a recent study, this article suggests that the richness of the teamworking experience is not captured by some of the academic literature. It argues for a view of teamworking that is both grounded in the literature and which represents the views of managers and employees in the service sector.
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Terry Desombre and Richard Benny
The NHS has undergone and continues to undergo rapid change. As a result of this the duties and responsibilities of employees will also change. Managers within the NHS have a…
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The NHS has undergone and continues to undergo rapid change. As a result of this the duties and responsibilities of employees will also change. Managers within the NHS have a responsibility to ensure that appropriate contracts of employment are held by employees and that, where required, variations in these contracts are documented. This paper uses the example of the changing role of the executive nurse director to highlight the importance of this need. It concludes by warning that failure to consider both the legal duties placed on employers when implementing contractual variations and the legal implications of adopting an unlawful method of variation, might lead to large legal bills and a demand on managerial time dealing with any legal claim against the employer.
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Terry Desombre and Gavin Eccles
This article looks to review recent practice undertaken within the UK hotel sector to improve customer service, and suggests ideals that could be implemented within National…
Abstract
This article looks to review recent practice undertaken within the UK hotel sector to improve customer service, and suggests ideals that could be implemented within National Health (NHS) Trust hospitals. At a time of increasing competition, hotel firms are using service enhancement as a means to gain competitive advantage, and therefore developing a range of techniques to measure levels of service quality improvement. With continued change in the health service, where greater focus now lies with patient satisfaction, so there is a requirement for managers to adapt techniques presently being offered in other service industries to improve levels of customer service and ensure patients are targeted to define their levels of satisfaction.
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Hadyn Ingram and Terry Desombre
It is becoming more difficult to provide health care that meets the needs of patients within tight budget constraints. This article suggests that one way forward is to channel the…
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It is becoming more difficult to provide health care that meets the needs of patients within tight budget constraints. This article suggests that one way forward is to channel the energies of people more constructively to work as teams. Some definitions are shown for teams and teamwork, and four benefits suggested of effective teamwork: learning and development, resource management, task performance and communications. In each of these four areas, examples are given from the international world of health care of how teamwork can be achieved. Finally, it is concluded that teamwork can be difficult, but that it is worth pursuing.
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Jessica Li‐Jen Hwang, Terry Desombre, Anita Eves and Michael Kipps
Reforms of the NHS’s healthcare structure have placed additional pressure on all aspects of hospital management. Evaluation of the effects of these reforms is difficult without…
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Reforms of the NHS’s healthcare structure have placed additional pressure on all aspects of hospital management. Evaluation of the effects of these reforms is difficult without more information on current conditions. Hospital catering in acute care trusts has little contemporary background research available. With this in mind, a survey of all the acute care NHS trusts within the eight regions in England was undertaken to investigate the hospital meal service process. A mailed questionnaire asked for the meal production system, food service method and food delivery personnel used by each trust, and a copy of a weekly menu. Results, from an 80.7 per cent response rate, indicate that most trusts use batch cooking to prepare their meals, and plated meal service to deliver the food to the wards. Almost 75 per cent of the trusts use nurses, at least in part, to serve food. English foodstuffs dominate the menus. Most of the trusts have moved towards meeting the goals set by the Patients’ Charter and other NHS recommendations.
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Li‐Jen Jessica Hwang, Anita Eves and Terry Desombre
The provision of food and drinks to patients remains a largely unexplored, multidimensional phenomenon. In an attempt to ameliorate this lack of understanding, a survey utilising…
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The provision of food and drinks to patients remains a largely unexplored, multidimensional phenomenon. In an attempt to ameliorate this lack of understanding, a survey utilising a modified SERVQUAL instrument measured on a seven‐point Likert scale was carried out on‐site at four NHS acute trusts for the purpose of assessing the perceptions and expectations of meal attributes and their importance in determining patient satisfaction. The results of factor analysis found three dimensions: food properties, interpersonal service, and environmental presentation, with a high reliability (Cronbach’s α from 0.9191 to 0.7836). Path analysis further established sophisticated causal relations with patient satisfaction. The food dimension was found to be the best predictor of patient satisfaction among the three dimensions, while the interpersonal service dimension was not found to have any correlation with satisfaction. Bridging the gaps that exist between perceptions and expectations can improve the quality of meal services for the purpose of maximising patient satisfaction and ultimately aiding in patient recovery.
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Krystin Zigan, Fraser Macfarlane and Terry Desombre
The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of intangible resources in the performance management of European hospitals. The extent of the awareness of intangible resources as…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of intangible resources in the performance management of European hospitals. The extent of the awareness of intangible resources as performance drivers is examined in five different European hospitals, from both the private and the public sector.
Design/methodology/approach
An inductive approach was taken based on open ended, semi‐structured interviews with key informants.
Findings
Research results indicate that hospitals' managers realise the importance of intangible resources. In particular these relate to three different areas, namely the management of hospitals' human resources, the creation of relationships within and outside the organisation, and the measurement of individual performance.
Research limitations/ implications
This research is exploratory in nature. Further and deeper research is needed which focuses on the identification of the most relevant resources in hospitals and their impact on performance. Both will then justify the integration of these intangible resources in performance measurement systems.
Originality/value
This research gives insights into the awareness of intangible resources in different European hospitals. It explores the use of intangible resources in performance measurement systems. Much of the research in this area has been concentrated on the private commercial sector, linked to creating shareholder value, and this paper adds to the newly developing research looking at hospital settings.