NHS Pathology Laboratories in England process nearly 800 million blood specimens per year. Of these, around 50 million tests (6 percent) originate from the 7,800 GP practices (averaging 6,440 tests per GP practice), while the rest originate from Hospital Provider networks and other sources.
We were engaged by a number of Pathology Service Providers, individual providers and regional collaborations (the largest handling up to 1.75 million samples from almost 400 GP practices and community locations operating Phlebotomy services) to assess, design and implement efficiency improvements to the Community Specimen Collection Network.
Like any network, the Specimen Collection Network is dynamic and evolves over time. It quickly begins to change as individual GP practices and community care providers make changes to their practice locations, opening hours and service locations, and as new providers enter the market providing Phlebotomy services.
We used a number of Network Modelling methodologies and tools, combined with our sector experience, to understand the current network and design a solution which best met the customer and Laboratory requirements (better service, reduced collection cost per reported test result, etc.).
Our consultants analysed the volumetric, activity and financial data from across the network to baseline costs. We engaged key stakeholders in the Pathology Laboratory and a sample of key GP and community customers to understand the current situation, key challenges and customer requirements.
We led the engagement with local and national Transport and Technology providers to identify relevant solution options. We modelled a range of solution options and developed a recommendation which best met the customer requirements. We led the implementation of our recommendations, which included the development of specifications, competitive tenders and the implementation of change management, providing the client with a toolset to track benefits and monitor volumetric going forward.
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:
Scott Healy
Managing Partner
scott.healy@akeso.co.uk