5000 Patients Cleared, Including Over 800 Complex Cases

Medacs has helped immensely to manage the significant waiting list backlog at University Hospitals Leicester. The service is excellent and consistent, and all their staff are proactive, efficient, and well versed with Trust theatre protocols. I have had very positive feedback from everyone involved

Head of Service - Consultant Laparoscopic and Robotic Colorectal Surgeon

Background

In 2022, University Hospitals Leicester (UHL) was one of five Trusts in the UK with the highest elective care backlogs. Each year the Trust performs over 54,000 operations and is also a national provider of ‘super specialised’ procedures. Their waiting list included over 110,000 patients, almost 2,000 of whom had been waiting more than two years.  To meet NHS Elective Recovery Plan targets, UHL urgently needed support to resource a significant increase in surgical activity. 

The Approach

Medacs mobilised a new insourcing service for the Trust in just 3 weeks, using an 'allied' workforce of over 80 theatre professionals, including key members of UHL’s consultant clinical team supported by a fully externally supplied team of Nurses, ODPs and Anaesthetists. The value of senior Medacs staff attending sessions every weekend is evident in this example:

"One weekend a patient with a pacemaker turned up for their scheduled operation and there were understandable safety concerns as this was not flagged in their pre-op assessment.  Ordinarily this would have resulted in an immediate cancellation, but after I consulted with the surgeon, anaesthetist, recovery and ward nurse staff, and secured an overnight bed, everyone agreed that it was safe for the surgery to go ahead.  Having waited two years for their operation, the patient was extremely grateful."

Anne Anderson, Medacs Healthcare Director of Nursing 

The contract scope was quickly expanded to include more specialties, and the management of a full-time pre-operative assessment service to support both insourced sessions and UHL’s own in-week surgical activity. Medacs also provided a team of over 50 skilled cardiac ITU nurses for six months, to support the Trust to restore activity on complex cardiac surgery to baseline levels. 

Results

• 5000 patients were cleared across five specialties
• Over 800 complex cases were cleared (ASA3 or higher) with UHL trusting Medacs teams to manage specialist colorectal and gynaecology procedures such as total abdominal hysterectomies and even major cancer cases
• The service was on average at least 10% more productive compared to prior insourcing outputs
• Zero lists were cancelled due to staffing shortages
• In October 2023, with Medacs' support, UHL transitioned out of the NHSE Tier 1 Elective Care list, with 65-week waiters reduced to 1.7% of the total list

"Fantastic support. With Medacs onsite every weekend, our waiting lists are now back to pre-pandemic levels"

General Manager - Paediatric Surgery