Theatre productivity
To support elective recovery, GIRFT is helping to lead a national theatre programme which aims to draw together all key national workstreams engaged in improving theatre productivity, efficiency and workforce.
The key aims of the programme are to support providers and systems to maximise the effectiveness and throughput of their surgical theatres through improvements across the surgical elective pathway. The programme reports into the National Theatre Board and onward to the National Elective Recovery Programme.
The workstreams that underpin the theatre board work closely with key stakeholders and draw in national theatre improvement and workforce programmes. We work closely, for instance, with Health Education England, IECCP and NHSE’s elective recovery, nursing and medical directorates.
Background
As part of the HVLC programme, GIRFT has set a target for Integrated Care Systems and providers to achieve 85% theatre touchtime utilisation by 2024/25. This supports the aims of NHS England’s 2022/ 23 priorities and operational planning guidance to secure sustainable elective recovery.
Theatre productivity and efficiency is a key enabler of this work. There is significant variation across England on how well theatres are utilised.
Theatre productivity is impacted by actions throughout the elective journey, regardless of specialty. Solutions need to be developed and shared at scale to unlock the full potential of theatres and new surgical hubs to ensure we can manage the elective backlog and deliver high quality care to our patients.
The national theatre programme aims to improve theatre activity and flow, and aims to support rapid implementation of the HVLC pathways.
Causes of low theatre productivity
The graphic below demonstrates the main reasons for low theatre productivity, based on GIRFT data and what we have identified through working directly with a number of providers delivering intensive support. We know that optimising each step of the process will provide incremental gains in theatre productivity.
Theatre Programme Workstreams
The graphic below demonstrates the main reasons for low theatre productivity, based on GIRFT data and what we have identified through working directly with a number of providers delivering intensive support. We know that optimising each step of the process will provide incremental gains in theatre productivity.
The National Perioperative Care Programme
To support theatre productivity, GIRFT is also collaborating with NHS England’s Digital Outpatient, Elective Recovery, and Elective Workforce Recovery teams to form the National Perioperative Care Programme.
The programme works to improve and standardise the quality of perioperative care services in England so that all patients on an elective or emergency surgical pathway have a good experience of perioperative care; that cancellations or delays to surgery for avoidable clinical reasons are minimised; and that the perioperative period is used as an opportunity to improve health and reduce health inequalities.
Find out more about this work in Associated Projects.
The National Theatre Board is co-chaired by Stella Vig, National Clinical Director for Elective Care, and Professor Tim Briggs, National Director of Clinical Improvement and Chair of the GIRFT programme.
Professor Tim Briggs
For further information contact the Theatres Programme team at england.girft.hvlc@nhs.net