Elective care waiting lists have remained persistently high in recent years, exacerbated further by the Covid-19 pandemic and recent industrial action.

But they cannot be tackled by increasing activity alone. A multi-pronged approach – which improves IT systems, seeks proactive assurance on digital infrastructures and focuses on upskilling the workforce in waitlist management – is required to effectively tackle the backlog.

Our Director of Consulting Services, Stephen Hall, makes this argument in our latest HSJ article, suggesting that bringing all these elements up to speed are crucial to stand a realistic chance of resolving the current size of elective care waiting lists.

“I recall managing waiting lists when I was a frontline manager in the NHS, and I did so effectively only with the support of multiple colleagues who had the expertise to share with me rather than formal training. There is, therefore, a real need for focussed training which is engaging and effective to support colleagues through this challenge,” Stephen writes.

He goes on to argue that inadequate IT systems and a lack of training for administrators compared to other staff groups are holding back the challenge of tackling the backlog, but that getting that these things right – alongside increased activity – can make all the difference.

You can read the full article here.

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