Specialties Covered:
Major Orthopaedic, General, Bariatric, and General Paediatric
Overview
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust is the primary provider of acute healthcare services for the Walsall region, serving a population of approximately 260,000 people. It delivers both general hospital care and community health services across Walsall and surrounding areas, and employs over 4,500 people.
The Challenge
Faced with a significant backlog of surgeries, the Trust sought a solution to reduce waiting times for patients and increase surgical capacity. They approached us to support their waiting list initiative, aiming to efficiently clear the backlog of surgeries while maintaining cost-effectiveness and high standards of patient care.
Our Approach
Between 2021 and 2024, we were awarded multiple contracts to provide comprehensive theatre support to the Trust. We staffed and equipped several operating theatres, deploying a full theatre team for each, consisting of: 1x Anaesthetic nurse, 2x Scrub nurses, 1x Recovery nurse, 1x Circulator, 1x HCA and 1x Nurse in Charge.
This robust setup allowed us to offer seamless assistance across a range of surgical specialties, ensuring swift and safe operations.
Highlights
Supporting 3 operating theatres dedicated to major orthopaedic, general, bariatric, and general paediatric surgeries, our team consistently delivered the following surgical outputs:
- 4 - 5 major orthopaedic surgeries per day
- 4 general surgeries per day
- 2 - 4 bariatric surgeries per day
- 4 general paediatric surgeries per day
We achieved a 100% fill rate, covering any staff absences due to sickness or other reasons. Throughout our contracts, we received zero complaints and ensured smooth collaboration with the Trust's management and in-house theatre teams.
Outcomes
Our efforts led to a 15% reduction in the Trust's waiting list.
Thanks to our team's efficiency and dedication, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust achieved its target of having no patients waiting more than 65 weeks from referral to treatment by the end of March 2024. As a result, it became the only Trust in the West Midlands—and one of the few nationally—to meet this critical NHS benchmark.
This collaboration highlights our ability to provide high-quality, efficient surgical support, contributing to significant improvements in patient care and waiting times for NHS Trusts.
Client Comments
We engaged The Placement Group to supply an insourced theatre team to allow us to quickly stand up additional sessions whilst we recruited substantively to the additional funded theatre staff posts. This was to support the Trust to reduce waiting times for patients by providing additional operating capacity at speed.
The team we were provided with were multi-skilled, able to complete the range of specialties of additional sessions and worked well together; and flexibly with our theatre teams. The team had a NIC role included in the establishment, this role was pivotal in ensuring the team worked well, helping with the integration of an insourced team into the theatre department from both a medical and nursing perspective.
The Trust has been successful in reducing its waiting list by 15% over the last year and improved its position in the proportion of current patients waiting less than 18 weeks from referral and for 52 weeks (as a percentage of the total waiting list) Referral To Treatment performance. Critically, the Trust was the only Trust in the Black Country, and one of very few Trusts nationally to deliver the commitment to have no patients waiting more than 65-weeks from referral to treatment at the end of March 2024.
Louisa, Clinical Theatre Services Manager, Walsall
It has been a pleasure working with you over the past year. I have in the past had problems with teams that have refused to be flexible in their approach to the management of time especially when we have had difficult patients and difficulty with procedures.
You helped my unit in removing some of the obstacles mentioned above and hence it was a joy working with you. You and your team will be sorely missed
Consultant Anaesthetist, Walsall