The staffing model provided by HBSUK ensured that we were able to achieve 100% theatre utilisation on both days, with rapid turnaround times between cases allowing for a highly successful and productive weekend of elective work.
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
Within four months, we achieved significant expansion to 22 specialties through the combined efforts of HBSUK and UHP. The expansion facilitated the provision of nearly 1,000 additional outpatient appointments and surgical procedures every month, supporting UHP to enhance healthcare services available to patients and reducing wait times by 83% with a single-provider model.
The Challenge
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) is one of the largest hospitals in the NHS South West region, servicing a population of over 2 million people and receiving over 48,000 people through its doors every week. The partnership between HBSUK and UHP was formed in 2022 in response to critical challenges that the Trust faced, including a capacity limited workforce, long waiting lists, and long patient wait times for treatment where the average was over 52 weeks.
The initial partnership with UHP was procured through the NHS Shared Business Services Framework and covered six specialities. Working with a single partner enabled UHP to create a long-term, cost-effective solution to their challenges. Our partnership enabled us to constantly flex and adapt to meet new challenges while maintaining high standards of patient care and operational efficiency. The single-provider partnership has greatly contributed to clinical quality and efficiency throughout the Trust, leading to improved, sustainable patient outcomes and helping UHP overcome its structural challenges.
Testimonials
Collaboration
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Shared Learning
We advocate shared learning and best practices when working with Trusts to achieve better outcomes for patients and staff. All our processes are underpinned and overseen by our Medical Advisory Board, which ensures patient safety through top-tier governance.
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Dedicated Operations Team
Since the start of the project, UHP has had a dedicated HBSUK operations manager who oversees all activities across our relationship with UH is familiar with all the clinicians and hospital staff and is responsive to UHP’s needs. Natalie ensures best practices and learnings are translated across specialities and departments within the Trust. Backed by our strong operations team, we also have out-of-hours call managers who are always there to fully support the Trust’s teams.
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Single-Provider Benefits
The success of our partnership as a single-provider model has delivered multiple benefits: Streamlined operations, Simplified supplier management, More collaborative relationship, Enhanced operational efficiency, Reduced administrative overhead, Consistent quality standards, and Better control over service delivery and innovation.
Key Outcomes and Innovations
Improved weekend productivity. Doubled patients per list in some specialties with HBSUK’s co-ordination. Consultant feedback from the initial weekend roll-out clinics resulted in changes to how patient lists were managed, which boosted efficiency and satisfaction.
HBSUK’s planning and resource capabilities enabled the first successful adoption of weekend gynaecology robotic treatments in the NHS South West.
The use of flexible rotas increased staff collaboration and morale to the point where the flexibility afforded by the HBSUK insourcing model became an unofficial employee benefit, easing pressure on existing staff without resorting to overtime.
HBSUK’s digital outpatient platform was successfully piloted in Dermatology, providing virtual consultations to more than 500 patients. This resulted in an average turnaround time of only 2.83 days from patients competing their question sets to the consultant reviewing their case and designing a management plan.
We introduced Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) and Consultant-led Frailty services to enhance acute and elderly care, which led to timely and specialised patient support.
HBSUK’s structured approach to Neurology outpatient services resulted in 64 patients seen per clinic and a 28% discharge rate, reducing follow-up demand and streamlining patient pathways.
By pre-screening referrals at the booking stage and implementing a one-stop outpatient model, our 8-person clinical and support team efficiently managed 56 patients per clinic, enabling faster, more effective decision-making and reducing unnecessary follow-ups.
Speciality Reductions
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30%
reduction in Gynaecology lists
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24%
reduction in MaxFax outpatient lists
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27%
reduction in plastic surgery lists
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46%
reduction in MaxFax longest waiters
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39%
reduction in general surgery outpatients
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62%
reduction in Dermatology two-week wait list