The new government has promised to deliver two million extra NHS appointments annually.
The Labour Party manifesto states they will cut NHS waiting times with 40,000 more weekly appointments. Labour describes this as a step towards meeting the target for patients to wait no longer than 18 weeks to start non-emergency treatment.
Getting the NHS back on its feet
Hospitals will need to pool staff and share waiting lists as part of a Labour drive to deliver an extra 40,000 NHS appointments weekly. The party has pledged to spend £1.1 billion to pay staff extra for out-of-hours work to supply these weekly operations, scans, or appointments.
Under the plans:
-
Hospitals will run evening and weekend surgeries, with staff and resources pooled across a region.
-
Patients will be offered appointments at nearby hospitals, which might not be their local ones, allowing them to access faster treatment.
Recognising the urgent need to reduce waiting lists, the government plans to use spare capacity in the private sector to diagnose and treat patients faster.
Weekend staffing: A step in the right direction
Labour’s research indicated over half of hospitals in England shut operating theatres at weekends. A Labour Party Freedom of Information request in 2023 showed that hospitals performed an average of 795 procedures on weekdays, compared to 176 at weekends. Weekend staffing can significantly reduce waiting times and improve patient outcomes.
A high-intensity theatre (HIT) list
Labour has highlighted how London’s Guys and St Thomas’s Hospital used a high-intensity theatre (HIT) list to perform more procedures. The HIT list system involves increasing the number of anaesthetic, surgical, and theatre staff. This minimises the turnaround time between cases.
By using two theatres simultaneously, surgeons can operate at the same time as their next patient is being prepared and anaesthetised. A usual day would see the hospital perform three knee surgeries, but using a HIT list, this increased to 12.
Insourcing: the solution
How can 40,000 extra appointments be a reality? While 40,000 appointments may seem unmanageable, it is entirely possible with insourcing. Insourcing is the short- to medium-term solution for extra clinical capacity through medical, clinical, and nursing insourcing. It enables Trusts to ensure patients are seen and treated in their local environment.
How Agile Insourcing can help
Agile insourcing will support you across multiple specialities and subspecialties by providing additional resources, staffing, and support. We support the NHS by increasing appointment availability and ensuring continuous patient care.
What we do
We mobilise and launch services collaboratively with our specialist clinical leads and operational teams to meet our clients' needs.
Agile Insourcing delivers patient-centred and safe services. This includes:
-
patient treatment list (PTL) analysis
-
patient admin booking
-
clinical delivery of specialities in outpatients/clinics and theatres
-
use of modular units
-
follow-ups.
We deliver services seven days a week in areas including:
-
Gastroenterology
-
Ophthalmology
-
Orthopaedics
-
Dermatology
-
Cardiology
-
Echocardiography
-
Radiology
-
Vascular
-
Pain Management
-
Breast
-
Gynaecology
-
Preoperative clinics
-
Urology
How we work with you
Depending on your challenges, services include:
-
Triage and clinical assessment of patients
-
Clinically appropriate diagnostics and treatment
-
Onward referral or discharge
-
New and follow-up patient appointments
-
Surgical and non-surgical on-site service delivery
Agile Insourcing: Boosting NHS capacity
Agile Insourcing enhances the NHS by increasing appointment availability and maintaining continuous patient care. Our tailored services ensure that patients receive timely and efficient treatment.
24/7 Support for clinical teams and clients
To ensure hospitals operate more efficiently and patients receive quicker diagnoses and treatments, Agile Insourcing has provided weekend support in several cases, such as:
Agile Insourcing: Results
Agile Insourcing supports NHS trusts by providing extra clinical capacity and resources. Results include:
-
700 additional first appointments per month for our current clients
-
Onward treatment, diagnostics, follow-ups and surgery are arranged when required.
-
Continuity of care throughout the patient’s referral.
-
Last year, across our larger contracts we saw 34000 patients for first appointments.
-
Fully managed service on and off-site.
-
Tailored staffing models.
-
Clinically led service from our medical director and speciality-specific lead clinicians.
For more information on services from Agile Insourcing either call 01756 704754 or email info@agile-insourcing.co.uk.
