Skanderborg Municipality achieves better continuity and work environment with Mit Team solution

"It implements itself," says Peter Mikkelsen, manager in Skanderborg Municipality's home care services, about Columna Cura Mit Team.

The story of 'Mit Team' (Danish for 'My Team') in Skanderborg Municipality began with a simple question at a staff meeting. An employee in the home care service in Galten, where Peter Mikkelsen is manager, asked: "Can we find a programme where you can see where the others are, so you don't have to call each other all the time?"

Shortly after, Systematic was looking for municipalities to pilot test Mit Team. Peter Mikkelsen seized the opportunity. Only a few months passed from autumn 2022, when employees requested the solution, to implementation in early 2023.

"It was an answer to some questions my employees had asked me. So when the opportunity to test Mit Team came up, I thought it fitted perfectly with what we wanted," explains Peter Mikkelsen.

Challenge
- Staff lacked an overview of colleagues' locations
- Desire for high continuity even during sick leave
- Phone calls disrupted employees' work
Solution
- Implementation of Mit Team provides an overview of colleagues' locations and status
- Introduction of shared lists where employees can distribute and swap tasks
- Combination of smaller teams and Mit Team for better coordination of home care
Results
- Continuity increased to 70-80%. 80% of citizens had only four or fewer different employees visiting them over 14 days
- Significantly fewer disruptions during the working day provide more calm and presence with citizens
- Increased employee autonomy - employees can distribute tasks themselves and adjust planning in real-time

Staff-driven implementation made simple

One of the biggest surprises about the implementation was how straightforward it was. Peter Mikkelsen describes the process as the easiest system implementation he's ever been involved with.

"It took a month, then all our teams were up and running. We started with one team per week. After an hour's meeting where they got to know the system, they were ready to get started," he explains.

He attributes the success to the solution being staff-driven innovation that speaks directly to a concrete need.

“It's one of the easiest things I've ever experienced implementing. Mit Team doesn't have many functions, but what it can do is exactly what we need.”

Peter Mikkelsen

Manager, Home Care Services Galten, Skanderborg Municipality

The enthusiasm spread quickly amongst staff. "We started with the most digitally mature employees, and the day after the first hour-long introduction meeting, they were already using it. In the following weeks, people from other teams began asking if they could join in too."

Measurable improvement in continuity

Skanderborg Municipality has been measuring continuity in home care for several years - i.e. how many different employees visit each individual citizen. Following the implementation of Mit Team, combined with a reorganisation into smaller teams, they have seen a significant improvement.

"We are now at around 70-80% continuity in the smallest teams. This means that 80% of citizens have had four or fewer different employees visit them over the past 14 days," explains Peter Mikkelsen.

Although the improvement stems from a combination of smaller teams and the use of Mit Team, there's no doubt that the system has made a difference. Staff actively use Mit Team to swap tasks amongst themselves to increase continuity.

"They use Mit Team to swap in everyday work. If an employee, for example, sees 'I was with this citizen yesterday, so I'd like to be there today too', they simply put it out to each other on the shared list. This way, they increase continuity themselves," explains Peter Mikkelsen.

Better work environment with fewer disruptions

One of the most noticeable benefits of Mit Team has been the reduction in the number of disruptions during the working day. Previously, employees were often interrupted by phone calls from colleagues who needed help or information.

"We can see from our work environment survey that disruptions have decreased.

It provides calmness and attentiveness in day-to-day routines. You can be more present with the citizen because you're not constantly being interrupted," says Peter Mikkelsen.

He adds that it also provides reassurance for new employees and temporary staff, who can easily see who is nearby if they need help.

Greater autonomy in everyday work

Mit Team has also given employees greater autonomy in their daily work. Peter Mikkelsen tells of a situation where employee sick leave automatically led to visits being placed on the shared list in Mit Team:

"The manager just had to go down and give a message to one of the other teams. When she came back, the planned visits had already been distributed. The employees had taken them from the shared list themselves."

Three key advantages of Mit Team

When asked about the most important advantages of Mit Team, Peter Mikkelsen highlights:

Better overview - Employees can see where their colleagues are located
Fewer disruptions - Reduced need for phone calls and interruptions
Increased autonomy - Employees can distribute tasks themselves and adjust planning

Mit Team is an extension of Columna Cura, the name for Systematic's solutions that support and optimise municipal care.

Interested in hearing more about Mit Team?

Contact Rikke Terp, implementation consultant at Systematic and a Mit Team project manager. Rikke trained as a nurse, and has worked as a district nurse in the City of Aarhus. She is ready to tell you all about Mit Team. 

Email: rikke.terp@systematic.com