Theatre and Outpatient Service Doubles RTT Performance

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Patients cleared

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Improvement in RTT position

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Specialties (ENT & MaxFax)

0%

Of patients treated within 18 weeks

A truly reliable partner. Met our high expectations in every aspect - mobilising quickly, communicating clearly, and engaging effectively. Their approach is proactive and solutions-focused.

Deputy Chief Operating Officer

The Challenge

In June 2025, Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) faced significant elective care challenges. The ENT department was under considerable strain, with a large cohort of adult and paediatric patients awaiting outpatient and surgical reviews.

The Trust was part of a group of “challenged” trusts with RTT performance below the 65% national target. Although the launch of a new Planned Care Hub for day surgery had led to some recent progress, SaTH needed to draft in insourcing support to manage demand, boost capacity and eliminate 52-week breaches.

Solutions

Medacs began by significantly increasing the Trust’s capacity for outpatient appointments, managing regular clinics across two specialties (ENT and MaxFax), typically treating over 200 patients per weekend, with large specialist nursing teams deployed to support specialist Medacs clinicians.

Surgical sessions were subsequently added, focused predominantly on paediatric patients, with experienced specialist consultant surgeons and anaesthetists supplied to work alongside Medacs theatre nurses and the Trust’s substantive teams.

Results

Over 4000 patients cleared with hundreds of extra outpatient and surgical clinics.

Within just 8 weeks, the Trust saw a 40% improvement in their waiting list position.

65% of patients are now treated within 18 weeks (compared to 38% at contract start) and the 52-week ENT waiting list has been eliminated.

In December 2025 the Trust was recognised as the most improved nationally for reducing waiting times for planned care and awarded £2 million through NHS England’s Elective Care Capital Incentive Scheme.

The ICB is now looking at expanding insourcing support to cover community-based ENT clinics.

Medacs is a valued partner, helping us meet patient demand and reduce our waiting list.

Centre Manager, NHS Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin ICB

Client

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust

Service

Clinical Insourcing - Theatre and Outpatients - ENT and MaxFax

Staffing Type

Consultant Surgeons, Anaesthetists, Specialist Nurses

Framework

NHS Shared Business Services

Medacs have really helped us to boost our surgical activity and reduce backlogs. With our teams involved the extra sessions have been well aligned with our routine services, giving us a valuable level of local control

Deputy Director of Operations