Improving access to services through a collaborative learning system at East London NHS Foundation Trust

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Quality Improvement Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Long waiting times and patient non-attendance negatively impact healthcare outcomes and service efficiency.
• Traditional methods for reducing wait times include performance targets, financial incentives, and increased resourcing.
• Effective early intervention is vital for improving patient prognosis and overall healthcare delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reduce referral-to-appointment waiting times and non-attendance rates across diverse primary and secondary care mental health and community health services.
• To implement a collaborative learning system to support quality improvement initiatives.
• To enhance patient access to essential healthcare services within East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT).

Main Methods:

• A large-scale quality improvement project involving fifteen diverse community-based teams at ELFT.
• Development and utilization of a collaborative learning system for regular data sharing, idea testing, and scaling-up.
• Provision of coaching from skilled improvement advisors to participating teams.

Main Results:

• Average waiting time from referral to first appointment decreased by 23% (from 60.6 to 46.7 days).
• Non-attendance rates for first appointments reduced by 36% (from 31.7% to 20.5%).
• Referral volume increased by 25% (from 1021 to 1280 per month) over the 2-year project.

Conclusions:

• The collaborative quality improvement approach effectively reduced waiting times and non-attendance in mental health and community services.
• The project demonstrated successful improvement in healthcare access despite increased referral volumes.
• This model offers a scalable solution for enhancing healthcare service delivery and patient access.