Contact Us

Bradford Council’s Safe & Sound service provides a vital lifeline — keeping vulnerable residents safe, supported, and living independently. When the service needed to strengthen operational performance and manage growing demand, Bradford Council engaged Walker Business Transformation to carry out a rapid Lean review.

The Challenge

The service was experiencing rising demand without a clear picture of what was driving it. Not all demand is equal — some calls represent genuine need, others represent failure demand created by the system itself. Without understanding the difference, it’s impossible to make the right improvements.

What We Did

WBT applied a data-led, frontline-focused methodology across the full service:

  • Analysed 124,000+ calls to separate Value Demand from Failure Demand
  • Mapped 13 end-to-end processes and 19 sub-processes
  • Facilitated collaborative improvement workshops with operational teams
  • Prioritised initiatives using a benefit-versus-effort framework
  • Launched immediate high-impact actions to build early momentum

Key Findings

  • 80% of total demand generated by just 8 call types
  • ~60% of call volume from just 20 frequent callers
  • Demand peaked consistently between 10:00 and 17:00 — enabling precise workforce planning

The Results

Response times improved by around 10 seconds within weeks of early actions being implemented. Clear evidence-based pathways were identified to accelerate service resilience, reduce avoidable demand, and enable sustainable growth — without proportional cost increases.

For a service protecting vulnerable people, every second of improved response time matters.

Could your organisation benefit from a similar approach?
Book a free 30-minute diagnostic call with Lee Walker — 07736 379911 | info@wbt.org.uk | www.wbt.org.uk