Resources for improving access 

The tools, resources and case studies below have been developed, using learning from across Scotland, to support NHS boards in taking a quality improvement approach to sustainably reduce waiting times.

Improving planned care pathways toolkit 

Using learning from phase one of Access QI, this toolkit has been developed to support planned care services to improve pathways, balance their demand and capacity and reduce waiting times. The toolkit has been developed to align to the improvement journey.

Start your own improvement journey with the Improving planned care pathways toolkit

Team service planning change package 

Team Service Planning is a multidisciplinary approach to defining, developing and delivering clinical capacity within an elective care service to contribute towards reducing waiting times. This change package has been developed in collaboration with the Scottish Access Collaborative (SAC) to support NHS boards to use quality improvement (QI) expertise to implement Team Service Planning across their service. 

Implement the Team service planning change package

Remobilising planned care

In July 2020, Access QI launched a national learning system to support NHS boards in adapting planned care to meet the challenge of COVID-19. The learning system sought to capture and share local innovations, tools and resources from Scotland and across the world to share learning and spread change.

NHS Tayside specialty remobilisation, recovery and redesign toolkit: This toolkit outlines a process and key considerations for NHS boards to safely remobilise planned care services whilst ensuring people are safe and they are treated in the most appropriate environments.

Managing outpatient demand while physical distancing change package: A change package has been developed to support services to take an improvement approach to maximising the number of outpatient appointments while physical distancing during COVID-19.

Maintaining staff safety and wellbeing: An infographic has been created to share innovations and examples developed to maintain, monitor, and improve staff safety and wellbeing.

Examples of maximising service capacity and capability: Remobilising during COVID-19 will require elective care services to reassess their capacity and capability as they adjust to new circumstances. Innovations presented here illustrate how teams are using different tools and resources to deliver care in a sustainable manner.

Examples of enabling digital access: COVID-19 has highlighted the need for health services worldwide to adapt how they deliver their services to ensure patient and staff safety is maintained. One key way this has been achieved has been through adopting new technologies at pace. These innovations highlight how elective care services have used new technologies to provide care to patients, establishing new processes and developing resources to make care accessible to all.

We are continually working to develop and share new resources. We welcome any suggestions you have for additional resources and any feedback to improve existing resources. Please get in touch by emailing us at his.accessqi@nhs.scot