1000+ Long Waiting Patients Cleared and Clinic Attendance Doubled

Medacs’ support has helped us to rapidly and efficiently reduce our gastroenterology waiting lists, without compromising continuity of care. Their communication, with regular operational updates is also exemplary

Remobilisation Support Manager

The Challenge

NHS Ayrshire and Arran serves a population of over 366,000 with patients seen at clinics across two sites in Kilmarnock and Ayr. The Gastroenterology department was operating a comprehensive in-week inpatient and outpatient service, but needed to run additional clinics at weekends to reduce patient waiting lists to acceptable levels and eliminate patients waiting over 52 weeks. 

The Approach

Medacs rapidly mobilised a new managed outpatient service for Gastroenterology patients, planning rotas well in advance and block-booking two highly reputed Medacs consultants for the duration of the contract, to effectively ensure continuity of care for patients.

Unlike traditional clinical insourcing services, Medacs promotes the use of local NHS staff, and so internal (substantively employed) nurses and admin staff with the familiarity and experience to properly support a seven-day service were also engaged in the weekend session work.
This ‘local’ workforce model ensures that care pathways are efficiently integrated into routine services, with local staff better placed to liaise with interlinked services. 

Results

Medacs coordinated hundreds of extra outpatients clinics, clearing more than 1000 patients, with 9 patients booked per scheduled session (compared to 8 for the previous insourcing provider).  Medacs RTT specialists also supported the health board with consultant job planning and administration, implementing clearer pathways and process flows for the Gastroenterology department.  
The health board has now successfully reduced their overall waiting time for urgent outpatient appointments to under 52 weeks and is continuing to drive positive improvements to their waiting list position.