Evidence from services

Improving referral vetting using ACRT in Gastroenterology, NHS Lanarkshire

As part of the Access QI programme, a gastroenterology team from NHS Lanarkshire wanted to reduce waiting times, decrease the time to diagnosis and treatment, and increase staff and patient satisfaction. They came together as a multidisciplinary team to implement Active Clinical Referral Triage (ACRT) and agree on a new set of referral vetting guidelines that would benefit their team and local GPs. Click here to find out what happened.

Improving patient care by assembling a Clinical Interface Group (CIG), NHS Grampian

NHS Grampian set out to simplify and improve the process of transitioning patients from primary to secondary care. They created a Clinical Interface Group (CIG) including GPs, consultants, and eHealth colleagues. The members work together to reduce waiting times, clarify pathways and tackle issues related to COVID-19. Click here to read how the CIG has achieved improvements in cardiology waiting times, Coeliac disease referral processes, and communication between patients and primary and secondary care.

Improving patient flow using a Big Room, NHS Forth Valley

NHS Forth Valley's colorectal team decided to start using 'Big Room' meetings. A Big Room gives a multidisciplinary team the time and space to discuss how to improve patient flow across their clinical pathways. Read our case study to find out how they established their Big Rooms and used them to make collaborative, data-driven decisions about pathway improvement.

Improving planned care pathways using change concepts

Using learning from across Scotland, this infographic lists a number of change ideas that enable planned care services to sustainably and affodably reduce waiting times. The change ideas span multiple steps of the patient pathway: community support, referral management, outpatients and diagnostics, and inpatients and theatre. Read more here.

Reducing the DNA rate for new appointments using driver diagrams, PDSA cycles and new referral forms in Clinical Health Psychology Service, NHS Lanarkshire

The Clinical Health Psychology Service in NHS Lanarkshire had a high Did Not Attend (DNA) rate for new appointments, resulting in long waiting times, wasted administrative time, and significant patient distress. They joined the Mental Health Access Improvement Support Team Collaborative (MHAIST) to maximise their capacity and improve access. They decided to implement telephone triage, revised appointment letters, and offer flexible appointment times and locations. Read about the impact this had here.

Remobilising services using a local capacity tool, NHS Fife

After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, NHS Fife needed to remobilise planned care services safely and strategically. With help from colleagues across the health board, the Transformation and Change Team Programme Manager decided to design a tool that would allow them to calculate capacity across multiple services at once. Using quality improvement tools, they mapped out each service's capacity, resources, and needs. Click here to learn how they did this.