HOSPITAL TRANSPORT OPERATION AND MANAGEMENT Flashcards
Hospital transport is generally used for the following:
Hospital transport is generally used for the following:
⎯ Outreach services (e.g., immunisation, health education, disease surveillance, rural outreach services, etc,)
⎯ Transportation of patients (e.g., ambulances)
⎯ Monitoring and supervision
⎯ Transport of goods and logistics
⎯ Emergency assignments and travels
⎯ General administrative assignments
Transport commonly used in the health sector includes—
Transport commonly used in the health sector includes—
⎯ general purposes vehicles
⎯ specialised vehicles such as ambulances ⎯ motorbikes
⎯ bicycles, etc
Transport organogram
Slides
Hospital transport committee
Hospital transport committee
• There should be a committee to deal with transport and related issues • Composition may depend on local policy
• The committee should be active and working
EMPLOYMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF DRIVERS
EMPLOYMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF DRIVERS
• Drivers should be employed based on recommendation of the transport committee, and in accordance with laid down policies and regulations
• In the public health facilities, drivers may be transferred between hospitals.
⎯ Where this the case, such a driver should still be assessed to see whether they are fit and qualified
Recruitment and selection of drivers
Recruitment and selection of drivers
Process for recruitment can follow this format: 1. Advertisement
⎯ application forms
2. Eligibilitycriteria
⎯ academic requirement
⎯ age requirement
⎯ level of experience
⎯ licencing
⎯ reference letters
- Interviews should be conducted for short listed applicants 4. Applicants should
⎯ undergo proficiency test in driving.
⎯ submit police clearance reports
⎯ submit certificates of medical fitness
⎯ ??? be able to communicate in English
Orientation
Training
Hospital staff driving
Orientation
• Transport personnel should be properly orientated with regard to the hospital’s culture, including
⎯ hospital policies ⎯ work ethics
⎯ job descriptions
⎯ dress code
⎯ discipline
⎯ conditions of service
⎯ transport management system
Training
• Drivers should undergo regular quarterly in-service training. Content of training to include—
§ PPM
§human relations §defensive driving
§first Aid
§fire fighting techniques, etc
• Officers allocated duty post vehicles should also undergo periodic yearly orientation in-service training on basic vehicle management
Hospital staff driving
• This applies to persons driving other than official drivers. These people should be required to-–
⎯ at least have appropriate licence
⎯ get authorisation before driving
⎯ follow the rules and guidelines laid down by the hospital transport committee
OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT
OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT
Vehicle allocation and distribution
• Vehicles should be allocated based on laid down criteria. E.g., Public Health Unit/Department for outreach services or such vehicles can still remain in the general pool of vehicles
Vehicle Pool
• There should be a centralised pool of vehicles made up of all mix.
• The vehicles should be accessible to all who want to use them
• There can be mini-pools, depending on the size of the hospital
Identification of Vehicles
• Vehicles should be clearly identified by hospital logo and name, and where possible, the unit/department to which the vehicle belongs
Vehicle use and control
planning
• Individuals and units/departments should submit monthly travel plans to the transport officer, except in emergency situations.
Official use of personal vehicles
• Staff who use their personal vehicles, or uses public transport for approved official duties due to non availability of official vehicles should be reimbursed.
Transport of staff
• There should be a policy and guidelines on use of hospital vehicle to transport staff to and from work where applicable, as well as on vehicle use for staff welfare issues such as attending weddings, funerals, etc
Vehicle logbook use
Vehicle logbook use
• All vehicle operators must receive thorough training on the importance of log books and how to complete them.
• Log books can be designed in different ways
⎯ should generally be user-friendly and strong enough to withstand the physical conditions in which the vehicle is being used
• The minimum information required in a log book includes:
⎯ the vehicle registration/identification number
⎯ a date for all entries
⎯ the odometer reading at the start and end of each trip;
⎯ trip details, (i.e., a point-to-point description of the journey), including departure and destination points; drop-off and delivery points; and delays and other major incidents, including their cause, location, and duration;
⎯ the amount of fuel added; and
⎯ the vehicle operator’s name, which identifies who is responsible
for completing the log.
• The log book should remain in the vehicle until it is handed to a
Transport Officer (or equivalent) at the end of each reporting period.
FLEET MANAGEMENT
FLEET MANAGEMENT
⎯ refers to the processes involved in overseeing a fleet of vehicles and related assets, as well as optimising efficiency while minimising costs and risk.
• Vehicle Replacement
⎯ There should be a policy on how and when vehicles would and should be
replaced.
• Vehicle procurement
⎯ This should be in accordance with a procurement plan. In the public sector, the hospital must have regard to the procurement law, as well the GHS/MOH procurement policies
• Vehicle Make, Type and Model
⎯ Vehicle make, type and model to be acquired should be appropriate for the
intended use.
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• Insurance
⎯ All vehicles should be insured at least for third party.
• Roadworthiness
⎯ All vehicles including motorcycles should be examined regularly for their
roadworthiness, and must have valid roadworthy certificates • Vehicle Maintenance
⎯ There should be a PPM policy based on a plan and manufacturer’s recommendation
⎯ PPM— is the regular and routine maintenance of equipment and assets in order to keep them running and prevent any costly unplanned downtime from unexpected equipment failure.
⎯ Operationalmaintenanceplancanbebasedondistancecoveredor period of use or whichever comes first.
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• Disposal of vehicle and obsolete parts
⎯ The disposal of vehicles and obsolete parts should be in line with
a recognised policy and regulations
⎯ Should there be a first option to purchase by hospital staff??
MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS OF VEHICLES
MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS OF VEHICLES
Dash board indicators
• Vehicles should have odometers and other dash board indicators functioning at all times.
Transport performance monitoring
• The following basic transport performance indicators should be used for reporting by the TMU monthly:
⎯ Kilometres travelled
⎯ Fuel utilization
⎯ Maintenance cost per kilometre ⎯ Vehicle availability
⎯ General state of vehicles
⎯ Accident rate
⎯ Updated inventory
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Fuel Control and Issuing
• Drivers should not be given cash to purchase fuel, instead they should be given coupons
• Bulk procurement of fuel coupons should be made and kept by the finance/accounts unit.
• Finance/accounts unit should issue fuel coupons to the transport unit on request.
• Transport officer should issue fuel to vehicles based on properly filled logbooks.
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• The quantity of fuel issued to vehicles should be determined by two main factors—
1. engine capacity, and
2. the distance to be covered.
• Fuel purchased should be indicated in the logbook in litres.
• Officials authorised to use their private vehicles in lieu of official vehicle for official duties should benefit from kilometric allowance approved by management
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Transport records
• The transport unit should keep relevant transport records.
• Records should be kept by the transport unit and used in assessing vehicle and workshop performance.
⎯ They should also be used to determine the yearly maintenance budget.
• Photocopies of driving licences of all drivers and officers driving should be kept.
• Only drivers and officers with valid drivers licences should drive vehicles
HEALTH AND SAFETY
HEALTH AND SAFETY
• Safety Equipment
• Vehicles should be equipped with the following required safety
equipment;
1. Seat belts
2. First aid box
3. Fire extinguisher
4. Warning triangles
5. Helmets (motorcycle) and bicycles 6. Life and reflective jackets
7. Airbags
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Use of Safety Equipment
• Drivers and passengers in vehicles should wear seat belts at all times in line with the laws of Ghana.
• Motor riders (including pillions) should all wear crash helmets.
Driving under the influence of an intoxicant
• No driving under the influence of an intoxicant such as alcohol, narcotics, medicine that cause drowsiness
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Driving at night
• Driving during long journeys and at night should be avoided unless in emergencies
Unauthorised passengers and over-loading
• Unauthorised passengers and goods shall not be carried on any official vehicle.
• No unauthorised passengers in the bucket of pick-ups • Drivers should ensure vehicles are not overloaded
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Use of Mobile Phones
• The use of mobile phone while driving is prohibited by law.
Overnight parking
• All official vehicles should be parked at designated places
⎯ Hospital premises
⎯ Nearest police station
⎯ Residence of officer vehicle assigned to
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Over-speeding and careless driving
• All drivers should strictly observe speed limits and other road traffic regulation.
ACCIDENT MANAGEMENT
ACCIDENT MANAGEMENT Accident reporting
• There should be format for reporting accidents
• There should be a number to all in case of accidents
• All accidents should be reported to the police and transport unit immediately by the driver where possible.
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CONCLUSION
• Hospital transport is a major componenet of the internal management structure of a hospital
• There are different parts of the transport system of a hospital that may be overseen by different category of persons
• Like every unit of a hospital, the transport unit/department requires conscious and deliberate inputs from management to ensure its smooth running
