Financial Improvement Programme: Small things can make a big difference

July 10, 2024

As you know, our financial improvement programme is not just about saving money, it’s about reviewing how we work to see if any processes can be improved.

One of the areas the financial improvement programme has been looking at the productivity and efficiency of our theatres.

Did you know that the Trust receives income for every patient we operate on?

So, if we see more patients? We receive more money, which of course helps our overall aim of reducing our deficit.

Currently, operating lists are compiled by the booking teams and sent to surgeons for sign off. This process does not enable the teams to respond to questions, or comments raised by surgical teams when they review the operating lists in advance.

This leads to an inefficient list order or re-order, especially when patients are scheduled at short notice due to cancellations, or surgical teams ask for additional equipment when reviewing notes or images.

The team set about coming up with a solution for this, and proposed a new two-way communication system, so that the booking team can reply directly, and the surgeon is alerted to any queries via an e-mail.

This will lead to less on the day cancellations and allow us to see more patients – reducing our waiting times and improving the patient experience – as well as the all-important extra income.

This has been tested and is now set to be rolled out across surgery in August. Thank you to everyone who has worked hard on this project – a great example of how a small fix can have a really big impact.

If you are interested in finding out more, please contact cris.knill@nhs.net, siten.roy@nhs.net, manoj.veettil@nhs.net or markwhitehouse@nhs.net

Remember: Your idea could be the next thing that makes a real difference – submit them here or contact swbh.recoverypmo@nhs.net.