Akeso supported a busy single-site district general hospital in designing and developing a new model of care for the relocation of outpatient services from the main hospital site to a newly established shopping-centre based outpatient facility using the Health on the High Street initiative.
Insight
At the Trust’s main site, an ever-increasing demand for outpatient care, coupled with ageing and limited infrastructure, and an increasingly complex patient demographic has necessitated a new model of care and home for outpatients’ services.
Following the successful go-live of the high street-based CDC in the town centre, the Trust embarked on further service transition by relocating a significant share of its core outpatient and day-case functions to a town centre hub location to provide a modern and convenient outpatient setting for staff and patients alike.
Action
Over the course of three months, Akeso provided healthcare planning support to develop and design a new community-based outpatients’ model of care and service, known as Health on the High Street.
- A comprehensive programme of clinical engagement was completed with the relevant specialties, including Ophthalmology, Dermatology, and Rheumatology, including, 30 dedicated specialty group sessions, 25 further 1-on-1s with key leads, and unit walk-arounds per specialty to observe clinical and operational reality mapping to the data insights gathered.
- Outpatient activity and referral data was used to develop demand and capacity projections for the next decade. These projections guided strategic planning for the expanded facilities, staff requirements, and service enhancements, ensuring that the programme was equipped to handle anticipated patient volumes.
- Synthesising the completed demand and capacity analysis and clinical engagement, supplemented by wider best practice and literature reviews, Akeso defined new models of care for each specialty, incorporating a series interventions, including pathway re-design, new workforce models, and the earlier introduction of diagnostics and one-stop shops.
- From this, functional layouts and Schedules of Accommodation were developed to address specific challenges, ensuring that each design incorporated the required accessibility requirements to support an inclusive patient experience. All designs adhered to both clinical requirements and Health Building Notes (HBN) best practices.
Additionally, Akeso supported with tailored service transition planning, covering pharmacy provision, sterile services, and consumables to ensure continuity of care and operational efficiency as services relocate to the new facility.
Results
Akeso developed two approved business cases, including the completed clinical engagement, healthcare planning, demand modelling, intervention planning, and design work, all supported by the organisation’s clinical teams. In total, the Health on the High Street project was forecast to deliver over £3.1m in annual benefits, including:
- Increase in service utilisation from 77% to 90%
- DNA reduction from 8% to 5%
- 20% reduction in unnecessary follow-up appointments
- In addition to improved services for patients and staff
