This year has seen the longest period of industrial action in the National Health Service’s (NHS) history. The NHS has faced significant challenges in recent times, particularly in meeting the 65-week waiting list targets for NHS Trusts.

These targets are crucial for ensuring timely access to treatments and reducing patient waiting times. A combination of factors, including increased demand, workforce challenges, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing strikes, have posed hurdles for NHS Trusts.

More strikes are planned for August

After a wave of five-day Junior doctor strikes in July, the British Medical Association (BMA) has announced the latest action, beginning on 11th August. Further walkouts will take place shortly before the August bank holiday, on August 24th and 25th. Figures published in The Guardian reveal that the strikes in England have already led to 819,000 appointments, operations, and procedures being postponed over the past eight months. Their estimates show that this number could top 1 million unless the dispute is resolved.

The impact of the July strikes is still felt as patients have seen their operations and procedures cancelled. The latest announcement means there will be six severely disrupted days in the NHS in England in August. This is likely to lead to thousands more cancelled operations and result in further cancellations of electives and appointments. This will put additional pressure on patient waiting lists.

The junior doctor strikes and pending consultant strikes will result in elective procedures and clinics being shut down, with hospitals only able to support emergency and acute cases. With waiting list backlogs at their highest in recent history due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this adds to the increasing number of patients remaining on waiting lists.

Strikes could go into 2024

Strikes by junior doctors could take place until at least January 2024, following a recent union vote. Members of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) in England voted to extend industrial action by another six months, with 96.5% in favour.

65-week wait challenges set to be reduced by 2024

The NHS has experienced a mounting challenge in meeting the 65-week waiting list targets for clinics. Increasing patient demand, combined with a shortage of healthcare professionals, has contributed to longer waiting times and strained resources.
The government has set targets for all NHS Trusts to reduce their patient waiting lists to 65 weeks by the end of March 2024. With more cancelled activities, that target is becoming harder to achieve. Some Trusts still have long waits of over 78 weeks, which was the previous government target, with no plans currently in place for these patients.

The Government has announced the use of the private sector to tackle the NHS backlog in England is to be expanded. Ministers want to unlock spare capacity to get more people the treatment they need.
Agile Insourcing understands the challenges for NHS Trusts, their patients, and the staff that work in them. That’s why Agile Insourcing has a viable solution to help NHS trusts address the challenges they face in meeting waiting list targets for clinics. By collaborating with external clinics and healthcare providers, NHS trusts can leverage resources, expertise, and capacity to tackle the backlog and reduce waiting times. This approach allows for a flexible and efficient allocation of resources, easing the burden on internal staff and enhancing patient access to timely treatments.

A solution

The solution to this could be to consider an insourcing provision that would utilise clinic or theatre space that is otherwise not being used, such as on an evening or a weekend. Agile Insourcing can provide full teams to run additional clinics or theatre lists, following the same standard operating procedures and pathways your Trust already has in place. An Agile Insourcing solution can be mobilised within a turnaround time of four weeks or less.

By using Agile Insourcing, we can help you hit the March target of 65 weeks for treatment and reduce the 78-week wait.

Specialised skills as and when you need them

Agile Insourcing enables NHS Trusts to access specialised skills and expertise that may not be available internally. By collaborating with external healthcare providers, the NHS can tap into their specific areas of proficiency, such as complex surgical procedures or diagnostic services. This access to specialised skills enhances the quality of care provided to patients while also reducing waiting times and improving patient satisfaction.

Whatever your area of pressure, we have a team of staff that we can provide to help address the issue. Find out how we can help you across key specialist areas, including:

• ENT (ear, nose, and throat)

• Gynaecology

• Radiology

• Anaesthetics & Pain management

• Dental

• Oral & Maxillofacial

• Radiology

• Anaesthetics & Pain management

• Gastroenterology & Endoscopy

• Respiratory

• Dermatology

• Cardiology

• Urology

• Ophthalmology

• Rheumatology

• General Surgery

• Haematology

• Neurology

Agile Insourcing helps you reduce wait times

Agile Insourcing delivers skilled clinical multidisciplinary teams. This includes consultants, nurses, and support staff. Qualified medical staff to enable you to manage elective care and help NHS Trusts address the backlog and waiting times of between two and four weeks.

Insourcing teams are an extension of your existing capacity, running extra clinic and theatre services on-site mid-week, evenings, and weekends. Through Agile Insourcing, NHS trusts can expand their capacity and improve the efficiency of their clinics. By partnering with external healthcare providers, trusts can access clinic spaces, operating theatres, and diagnostic facilities. This increased capacity enables trusts to see more patients, perform more procedures, and reduce waiting times.