REHAzenter

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Empowering employees to make effective decisions and manage projects independently.

The Rehazenter National Centre of Excellence in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation and Neurological Rehabilitation. Strategically located on the Kirchberg plateau in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Rehazenter – National Centre for Musculoskeletal Functional Re-education and Rehabilitation – provides specialist care for over 600 patients a week, with the aim of improving their quality of life.

The modern infrastructure (swimming pool, gym, rooms, apartments, etc.) and the wide range of therapies, treatments and services on offer (physiotherapy, psychology, neuropsychology, occupational therapy, speech therapy, hydrotherapy, etc.) make this a comprehensive centre that complements curative medicine and plays an important role in Luxembourg’s medical landscape.

The search for practical tools to help employees make better decisions on a day-to-day basis

Nearly half a century after its creation, the Rehazenter found itself faced with a significant increase in administrative and logistical tasks, like many healthcare establishments. The staff were busy with other tasks and lacked the time and resources to devote themselves fully to their core business: patient care and rehabilitation. Employees were finding it difficult to manage a project from start to finish and to provide practical solutions to day-to-day problems on their own.

Convinced of the benefits of the Lean Management approach, which he had had the opportunity to explore during his previous professional experience at the Hôpitaux Robert Schuman, Gaston Schutz, CEO of Rehazenter, wanted to train his teams in these principles to increase their responsibility and efficiency. He turned to Santé Services, a consulting firm, to organise a Lean Management training course at the Centre, with the aim of providing the Centre’s employees with concrete tools – and accelerators – to enable them to manage problems and projects more effectively on a day-to-day basis.

The training format (5 sessions of 2 days each) was discussed in advance with the Rehazenter to meet specific expectations and adapt the training content to the reality of the Rehabilitation Centre. All the participants received training that blended the theoretical bases of Lean Management with concrete cases from the healthcare sector. The advantages, benefits and methods for applying Lean practices were presented using the relevant tools. Particular emphasis was placed on the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control) approach , which offers powerful tools for problem solving and project management.

To put all this into practice, one day of the course was devoted entirely to Problem Solving directly in the field. “On this particular day of the course, participants presented us with a very practical problem from their day-to-day lives, and we pushed the approach as far as possible to show results in a short space of time, for example: tidying up equipment and reviewing the associated processes in different care units, defining an approach for determining criteria for Accreditation Canada (ACI) for the Quality department, etc. This is a useful way of getting to grips with the tools and showing that all it takes is a little time, which is the biggest challenge for the teams,” explains Adrien Terlier.

The training is centred around the participants and their Lean project, which they develop throughout the sessions, with personalised support from the various trainers. The aim is to challenge the project with a view to refocusing its implementation around the Lean Management approach.

Finally, at the end of the course, participants had to present their project to the trainers in order to receive Lean Management Healthcare certification at Green Belt level, attesting that they understand and are able to apply the approach.

Practical training that delivers immediate operational results

The training quickly bore fruit and fulfilled all its objectives. “All trained and certified members now work in way that is more solution-focused than problem-focused in terms of decision-making and irritant resolution, which makes a difference to the day-to-day dynamics of each team. Feedback from the field shows that the participants quickly applied the techniques they had learnt for solving small operational problems (MDI, Problem Solving A3, Task Analysis, etc.),” says Adrien Terlier.

The new habits acquired by participants help to reduce the stress caused by the unexpected. The methods of reflection taught by the trainers help people to take responsibility and become more independent. When faced with a problem,  Rehazenter employees come up with their own solutions. It’s a real change from the previous way of working, which had taken root.

“I’d already been won over by the benefits of Lean… And once again, I am delighted with this experience, which the teams really enjoyed. The Santé Services approach has enabled us to take the necessary steps to improve our processes and become more efficient. As a Rehabilitation Centre dedicated to improving the daily lives of its patients, patient and family satisfaction is at the heart of our concerns. Our employees now feel more empowered and invested, and this is demonstrated in their day-to-day work. The feedback I’ve had from my teams about this training course has been very positive!” explains Gaston Schutz, CEO of  Rehazenter.

The key to the success of this training? “In addition to the enthusiastic involvement of the participants, it certainly lies in the high degree of customisation and flexibility of these training sessions, which are bespoke and adapted to reflect our realities in the field. Santé Services’ expertise and advice were decisive in this collaboration,” says Gaston Schutz, CEO of  Rehazenter.