How NHS Lanarkshire's Women's Services used a 12-week Trickle Engagement Sprint to give staff a safe, structured space to speak up - and what happened when leadership committed to act on what they heard.
12-week Engagement Sprint. Covering Maternity, Gynaecology and Neonatal services across three acute sites and twelve community teams.
NHS Lanarkshire's Women's Services was navigating a period of significant change. A series of governance recommendations had highlighted the need to improve culture, communication and staff engagement across a workforce that was geographically dispersed and working across 24/7 shift patterns.
Traditional routes of engagement weren't enough to gain the deep insights that were needed. Leadership wanted a way to hear from everyone in real time, on issues that actually mattered to staff, and to demonstrate that they were listening and acting on what they heard.
Women's Services ran a 12-week Trickle Engagement Sprint spanning Maternity, Gynaecology and Neonatal teams. The Sprint gave staff a safe, inclusive space to raise issues, support each other's ideas, and see tangible change happen, all within the Sprint period.
A small Champions Team, drawn from the Women's Services leadership group, took responsibility for adopting and progressing staff-raised topics through to resolution. Staff could engage via any device, at any time, which mattered in a service where shift workers may rarely overlap with colleagues or leadership.
"Being able to raise concerns any time of day or night makes sure all staff can raise any issues whilst on dayshift or nightshift."Women's Services staff member, NHS Lanarkshire
Participation significantly exceeded expectations. The Sprint had a target of 200 active users. By the end of the 12 weeks, 333 staff members had signed up, 67% above target, with 78% active in the past 30 days and no sharp drop-off after launch. Staff formed real engagement habits, not just a one-off interaction.
The issues raised were strategic, not trivial. Staff used the platform to surface topics at a service level: staff morale and wellbeing, operational efficiency and patient flow, staffing and safety, clinical tools and systems, and communication and transparency. 51 Trickles were raised across the Sprint.
The Champions Team performed exceptionally. 94% of raised topics were adopted by a Champion, compared to a 74% average across Trickle customers. Average time to resolution was just 12 days, 250% faster than the Trickle platform average. By the end of the Sprint, 57% of all raised topics had been fully resolved.
Anonymity was used responsibly. 80% of posts were submitted anonymously, reflecting staff trust in the platform. Yet 49% of comments within discussions were named, suggesting staff felt safe enough to engage openly once a topic had been raised. AI moderation was active throughout but was not triggered once, and no private support requests were raised, indicating the platform was being used confidently.
"Trickle has been invaluable for staff engagement, with staff feeling empowered to raise concerns without fear of repercussions."Senior Management Team member, NHS Lanarkshire
The five highest-impact completed Trickles illustrate the kind of change delivered during the Sprint.
Comprehensive reviews initiated across key service areas, addressing high-risk caseloads, staffing concerns and clinical environment suitability.
A new plan developed to better support reduced working week hours, improving staff mental health while simplifying scheduling for managers.
A patient survey launched to review visiting policy and overnight guidance in response to staff concerns about dignity in shared ward environments.
Multi-point suggestions addressed to improve patient flow and coordination of care across ward teams.
Strategies developed to reduce workload dread, including peer support reintegration and a review of rotation lengths to support skill development.
"Since the introduction of Trickle I feel we all have a better understanding of our unit as a whole. With concerns being aired and actioned, we all feel listened to and empowered to speak up."Women's Services staff member, NHS Lanarkshire
Such was the impact of the initial Sprint that NHS Lanarkshire Women's Services extended their use of Trickle for a further period, to support engagement around the development of their Women's Services strategy, a structural integration programme, neonatal service redesign, and an anticipated Healthcare Improvement Scotland inspection.
Maternity services are under pressure from multiple directions: governance scrutiny, workforce challenges, structural change, often all at once. Trickle Engagement Sprints are designed precisely for environments like this. A focused, time-limited, fully measurable approach to staff engagement that complements rather than replaces existing tools.
The NHS Lanarkshire experience demonstrates that when staff are given a safe, trusted channel to speak up, and can see that their voice leads to real action, they engage, and they keep engaging.
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