NHS England has extended the role of its hospital matching platform for clinical teams to find appropriate hospitals for patients.
Initially introduced last January to patients needing a hospital admission, it will now be used for other purposes including cancer treatments, diagnostic checks and outpatient appointments.
The system is mainly used for patients who have been waiting the longest, with health chiefs describing it as a key tool in NHS efforts to reduce the backlogs of patient treatments that built up during the Covid-19 pandemic.
NHS England said that since the launch more than 1,700 offers of support have been made and that the next ambition is to virtually eliminate 65-week waits by April 2024.
The platform includes patient information to help organisations decide whether they can pick up a case, including how far the patient is willing to travel, the severity of the illness, their body mass index and how long they have been waiting for care.
Patient options
If more than one provider offers treatment, the options are put to the patient, who can then choose based on factors including how far they would have to travel.
Gynaecology, colorectal and trauma and orthopaedics are the top three specialties to have benefited from this digital mutual aid so far, according to NHS England.
Its chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, said: “Despite significant pressure on services, NHS staff have already made incredible progress against our elective recovery plan, and this smart new tool will help us to continue to reduce long waits for patients.
“It shows, once again, the benefits of having a national health service – NHS staff can now work even more closely with other hospitals across the country to identify capacity and conveniently match patients to available treatment and appointment slots.
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay MP said the platform will help to deliver thousands more diagnostic checks for major conditions and offer people treatment sooner.
Association approval
The announcement won approval from the Patients Association, whose chief executive Rachel Poer said it should make it easier for patients and healthcare professionals to make a decision together on the best place for treatment.
It also prompted a welcome, albeit with a note of caution, from the NHS Confederation. The director of is Acute Network, Rory Deighton, commented: “This is a sensible, innovative initiative that could see longer term benefits for the NHS and will be good for patients, potentially speeding up care for those willing and able to travel.
“However, some patients may be unable to travel as far and will prefer to wait slightly longer in order to attend their local hospital. But in the current environment it is important that we explore every opportunity we can, and this will help better match demand with very limited capacity, prioritising those patients who have been waiting the longest.”
