Background:

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) is one of the largest acute Trusts in the UK, employing over 20,000 staff. Its Dermatology departments was facing an increasing backlog in outpatient appointments, which was leading to increased patient waiting times and additional strain on the medical teams. To tackle this challenge head-on, the Trust partnered with Agile Insourcing in September 2022. Over time, the project has since evolved to meet the changing requirements of the department.

Agile Insourcing Solution:

Agile Insourcing provided a full team of Consultant Dermatologists, Dermatology Nurses and HCAs to cover the outpatient clinics over weekdays and weekends. The team started working in the department on 17th September 2022, just three weeks after the implementation process began.

The solution was flexible to support the changing needs of the department. Initially, Agile Insourcing focused on delivering minor ops clinics but the project was later broadened to include the treatment of patients requiring an appointment with a 2-week period. In January 2023, the project was further expanded to include the 78-week cohort, in order to meet the NHS England target of having outpatient appointments and treatments completed before the end of March.

Full support was provided by the Agile Insourcing team throughout, including MDT representation added later on in the project to enhance patient care. A weekday clinic was also introduced by the Agile Insourcing team to keep up with demand and capacity.

Benefits to the Trust:

• Reduction in patient waiting times: With the additional clinics provided by Agile Insourcing, Manchester Foundation Trust was able to reduce the backlog of Dermatology outpatient appointments and provide timely services to patients.
• Improved patient satisfaction: The patients who received services from the Agile Insourcing team reported high levels of satisfaction with the care they received, which helped to improve the reputation of the Manchester Foundation Trust.
• Consistency in service quality: The regular team of consultant dermatologists provided by Agile Insourcing ensured that the quality of services remained consistent, regardless of changes in staffing.
• Reduced pressures on the department: The insourcing clinics enabled the substantive team within the department to distribute workload more evenly, enabling them to work more collaboratively and improved wellbeing.

Outcomes:

The partnership between Manchester Foundation Trust and Agile Insourcing has been a success, with the backlog of Dermatology outpatient appointments significantly reduced, patient waiting times decreased, and patient satisfaction increased.

• Reduced patient waiting times with additional clinics provided by Agile Insourcing.
  
  Within 12 weeks, 50% of patients were taken off the 2-week waiting list after their first appointment.
  
  Within 20 weeks of implementing minor ops clinics, over 300 patients were seen and treated on-site.
  
  168 patients treated only 4 weeks into the project to tackle the 78-week waiting list

• High patient satisfaction with Agile Insourcing services improving the reputation of Manchester Foundation Trust
• Consistent service quality with regular team of Dermatology professionals from Agile Insourcing
• Reduced department pressures with evenly distributed workload and improved wellbeing for substantive team
• Additional weekday support provided by Agile Insourcing for prompt patient care
• Added a 78-week contract within one week of implementing Agile Insourcing solution
• Weekly review meetings held by Agile Insourcing to monitor project productivity and promptly address any issues.

The positive impact of the solution provided by Agile Insourcing has been acknowledged by the Dermatology Service Manager and other stakeholders within the trust.

“Agile Insourcing has been an invaluable partner to MFT. Within just three weeks, the full team was on site, and the waiting time for Dermatology appointments has been significantly reduced. The team has been flexible to meet our changing requirements, and the addition of MDT has enhanced patient care.”

Dermatology Service Manager, Manchester Foundation Trust.