Facilitating team effectiveness at a swift pace in VHI

Vhi Swiftcare 360 Centre provides Vhi members with rapid access to urgent care for minor injuries and illnesses and a range of health and wellbeing services delivered by a multi-disciplinary team.

The 360 concept brings together the traditional team of doctors, nurses and administration staff, and also introduces nutritionists, physiotherapists, lifestyle coaches and psychotherapists. The team was newly formed and they were all new to each other. Setting the team up with a solid foundation to work from, launching the team in the right way, developing a unique culture and building relationships across this ‘team of teams’ was a major challenge for VHI. Stephen and the Live Unbound team were brought in to ensure the team stepped into the great potential that they are capable of and hit the ground running with their highly consequential work.

We met with the various stakeholders, including the leaders of each discipline, to better understand their vision of success for our work. Before working with the team collectively, we already had catalysed a shared understanding, alignment and commitment to the process necessary for the team to realise their vision.

We used the assess, build, coach process (hyperlink this to unbound teams page), which is our tried and tested approach that transforms and supports teams' performance.

We worked with the team in the run-up to and during the launch of the new 360 healthcare centre over several months. Our work explored; the team's compelling purpose, the various sub-teams within the collective and what they need from each other, the team dynamics, building trust between the leader and each of the members, developing psychological safety, resolving existing conflicts that are interfering with teamwork, establishing optimal work practices for the team.

Stephen also worked with the site clinical director, Dr Lynda Keveaney in a 1:1 executive coaching process .

Our work with this team in Vhi created a culture of cohesion and powerful team effectiveness, which allowed them to hit the ground running from day one. This new way of working set out the stall for how Vhi 360 Swiftcare clinics throughout Ireland and the new multi-disciplinary teams operating them have been developed going forward.

The work this team have done together has earned them a reputation from the outset of superb service and an overall great experience from when you go in the door till you come out. The team works very well together in an enjoyable environment, and as a result, patients enjoy their experience. The consensus is that this is a different kind of space. Vhi themselves say, “It makes things really easy for patients – we make what’s a difficult time for them as good of an experience as we possibly can.”