In 1998 I looked at Investors in People (IiP) as a way of taking my practice to the next stage of development. This was new territory for me and involved such heady things as staff appraisals, structured staff meetings, team training and formulating a business plan. I had always considered that as a dental practice we were keeping up with expected requirements but these were a step further.
The implementation from 1999 had immediate effect from which I felt my entire team, the practice and patients benefitted enormously. Communication improved instantly, standards were raised, everyone had a training programme, we had done our SWOT analysis and had a business plan (albeit low key) in place. I completed my Key Worker NVQ level 3 and became a devoted supporter of Investors in People. My enthusiasm knew no bounds and I was appointed Ambassador for IiP, lecturing around the country on the benefits of achieving the standard - I even reached the finals of Ambassador of the Year!
Over the succeeding years legislation became more specific, innovations the norm and it came to the point where I wondered why we were still involved in the three yearly IiP review as it seemed to bring nothing new to the practice. It was then that I heard about the new approach, which was heralded as a significant step up from concentrating on the core IiP standard. By incorporating a wider framework, our work with Investors in People could be much more focused on our business and help us push forward – and by working with a wider framework you could achieve additional recognitions of gold, silver and bronze too.
Right away I realised the differences, with a much more detailed and realistic business plan being developed, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) formulated and agreed with every member of my team and a stated commitment to making a positive contribution to the local community put in place. This was no longer a dull exercise but a real challenge that had specific targets and outcomes. We established a Gold Standard KPI for each group including dentists, the practice manager, hygienists, dental nurses and our practice cleaner.
The first KPI for everyone was to Increase profitability without in any way compromising patient care or standards. Any suggested 'good ideas' to save money were quickly dispatched if they lowered our standards to the patient – or were illegal! Targets were established – daily, weekly and monthly. Gold level best practice was adopted by everyone and the final KPI was a personal one that reflected the training needs of each team member. These were adopted and adhered to and the change was palpable. The spirit of the team was enhanced and the mood buoyant – even though we were - and still are - in a recession.
Instead of the previous quick interviews and box-ticking exercise of the 'old' standard (sounds familiar - CQC!) our assessment turned out to be two full days of one-to-one interviews including half (12) of my team. Our assessor, Steve Newton, put everyone at their ease and really made the interviews both enjoyable and productive. Everyone was interviewed for 45 minutes, but both my practice manager and I were interviewed for over two hours each. Questions were searching and often helped us see many positive things we hadn't thought would count as important – we just assumed everyone did them routinely.
At the end of the second day my practice manager Alison Church and I were summoned to hear the results from Steve and this is where our recent intensive training in evidence collection (thanks to HTM-01-05, CQC and Information Governance) became invaluable. Unlike many other businesses we were used to amassing 'files' so we were easily able to produce all that was required, although the interviews provided the majority of evidence. Overall, throughout the assessment we had to demonstrate that we were meeting evidence in excess of the IiP standard (39 requirements). For bronze we needed to achieve 65 pieces of evidence, silver 115 and gold over 161.
In the event we scored 173 so were well within the gold range and we were delighted. This was an award for the whole practice. Every person interviewed gave their best shot. They couldn't exaggerate or invent – there had to be proof and the commitment that they all supported the ideals of the practice totally. In essence, it was really like having a team development consultant in for two days – and think what that would have cost!
Working with Investors in People and achieving Gold recognition has been the best thing I have ever done for my practice. I can strongly recommend it. There is a financial implication but the end result is worth the expenditure many times over – for the enthusiasm and commitment it has inspired into my team, the resulting 'buzz' from everyone and how our patients have been thrilled on our behalf. Other pluses – the forecasted two hour interview with the CQC will certainly be a challenge in the future but not nearly as personally searching as Investor in People. Fantastic.