Accurx and Leicester NHS Trust: an alliance to fight waiting lists

Healthcare organization University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) has entered into an Innovation Partnership agreement with Accurx, a software company dedicated to integrating healthcare communications around individual patients. Like all NHS bodies, UHL aims to reduce its elective waiting list and address long patient waiting lists. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, UHL has seen an 85% increase in its waitlist, resulting in one of the most difficult recovery trajectories among large acute health entities.

Innovative solutions for reducing waiting lists

UHL is addressing this challenge through its Innovation Partnership with Accurx, whose user-friendly software is being used across various services across the institution to administratively and clinically validate waiting lists, as well as reduce unnecessary appointments and missed. The partnership involves close and collaborative cooperation between Accurx and UHL to design solutions and develop products appropriate to UHL's elective recovery needs. Both partners meet monthly with UHL clinical, technical, and operational representatives to discuss progress against goals, ensure technical alignment, identify and manage clinical risks, and generate new ideas.

Results of technological innovation

Accurx also provides training and implementation support to the UHL teams, ensuring effective product adoption. In November 2022, UHL and Accurx set a goal of removing 10,000 patients from waitlists by March 2023. This milestone was achieved just eight weeks into the partnership. To date, 17,000 patients have been removed, demonstrating UHL's commitment to using innovative technology to address its waiting list.

Further measures for the management of the waiting list

A number of additional measures have been introduced to manage patients who still require treatment. Of these, 3,800 patients chose to be enrolled in a patient-initiated follow-up pathway (PIFU). A digital triage approach to PIFU is helping services manage their PIFU patients digitally, further reducing waiting lists by decreasing unnecessary appointments. The implementation of SMS appointment reminders is helping to reduce the non-attendance rate (DNA), which in many services exceeds 10%. Siobhan Favier, Deputy Chief Operating Officer at UHL, and Dr Satya Raghuvanshi, Clinical Lead at Accurx, both expressed their excitement at the results achieved and the positive impact the partnership is having on waiting list management.