Morning, Wednesday, 27th November 2024
Online
This conference will discuss next steps for tackling NHS waiting times in Scotland.
With the Health Secretary indicating that he is willing to consider fresh ideas for reform, it will be a timely opportunity for stakeholders and policymakers to discuss priorities for Scotland’s £3.4bn of funding in the Budget, which will include investment in health and social care, and assess the implementation of The Scottish Government’s post-Covid NHS Recovery Plan 2021-2026, looking at key objectives and options for accelerating capacity expansion and reducing waiting times.
Discussion will also consider next steps for a public health approach and options for preventative methods of tackling health challenges, looking at improving diagnostics and the use of digital, challenges within the social care sector, and calls for a Scotland-wide review of emergency treatment provision.
Delegates will examine latest thinking on addressing ongoing delays in meeting waiting time targets, alongside options for policy and practice moving forward, including what can be learned from the recent Audit Scotland report, which highlighted that only three out of eight key waiting time targets have been met at a national level in the last five years. Discussion is also expected on plans for managing planned care outlined in The Scottish Government’s Health and Social Care: Winter Preparedness Plan 2024/25, including maximising theatre capacity with evening and weekend sessions, reducing unnecessary face to face visits, and protecting planned care through the use of day surgery units.
Sessions include discussion on challenges facing the healthcare workforce, such as staffing shortages and difficulties recruiting consultants meaning workforce growth is struggling to meet patient demand, and implications for staff of scheduling surgeries over evenings and weekends, as well as the implementation of the recent 5.5% NHS pay deal.
With the ongoing development of national standards by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, the agenda will look at next steps for improving outpatient and inpatient care timelines, and tackling delays in cancer and emergency treatments. Areas for discussion include priorities for achieving a sustainable balance between increased capacity and quality of care, as well as the potential for innovative solutions such as the proposed theatre scheduling software and the ongoing implementation of National Treatment Centres.
Further sessions assess practical steps to advance healthcare delivery, including strategies for workforce retention and development, the expansion of community-based care, reducing healthcare inequalities, and opportunities arising from the use of AI and other new technologies.
We are pleased to include a keynote session with: Caroline Lamb, CEO, NHS Scotland; and Director General, Health and Social Care, The Scottish Government; and Donna Smith, Director of Strategic Solutions Scotland, Insource.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- NHS Recovery Plan 2021-2026: assessing its ambitions and implementation, including the 2023 progress report - identifying effective measures to meet waiting time targets - options for improving outpatient and inpatient care timelines
- National Treatment Centres (NTCs): addressing delays in rollout - strategies for expediting completion - options for returning hospital productivity to pre-pandemic levels - considering the work of NHS Scotland’s Centre for Sustainable Delivery Annual Report 2023-2024 and its strategic priorities
- tackling inequalities: priorities for reducing barriers to healthcare access - addressing waiting times for people with protected characteristics and from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds - taking forward The Health Foundation’s Leave No One Behind 2023 report - potential for early intervention and prevention strategies to shift care closer to home
- staff retention and training: assessing initiatives for improvement - addressing workforce shortages and improving morale - assessing contract and pay reforms, including for junior doctors, and implementation of Agenda for Change - addressing the outcomes of recruiting from overseas - the impact of Brexit on recruitment processes
- collaboration: considering the effectiveness of current NHS governance structures - priorities for partnership between stakeholders in maximising efficiency and service quality
- innovation: examining the impact of new technologies, such as theatre scheduling software - best practice for data management to ensure efficiency and collaboration - fostering collaboration to reduce delayed discharges
- best practice: considering and embracing international expertise to encourage best practice in healthcare delivery
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates.
