Delivering an 18 week patient pathway from GP referral to the start of treatment by the end of 2008 is a key objective for the NHS. NHS Elect’s work in this area is divided into two areas: the support which we give to the Department of Health’s 18 week programme and that which we offer our members.
NHS Elect’s support of the Department of Health’s 18 week programme
NHS Elect has an agreement with the Department of Health to provide a significant part of their NHS-facing work on 18 weeks in 2007/2008, particularly working with the Early Achiever sites and Pioneer sites (who will deliver 18 weeks by December 2007) and the orthopaedic project.
To date, NHS Elect has provided the following support to the 18 week programme:
Working with the Pioneer and Early Achiever sites to facilitate shared learning and the implementation of sustainable models of care to meet 18 weeks.
Project management for the creation of many of the 18 week commissioning pathways which have been developed to help local health communities transform their services and meet 18 weeks.
18 week orthopaedic project including completion and launch of The Musculoskeletal Services Framework – a joint responsibility: doing it differently, support to the 18 week orthopaedic coordinating group and for the SHA orthopaedic road shows.
Project support for the National Audiology Action Plan which resulted in the publication of Improving Access to Audiology Services in England.
More information about the Department of Health’s 18 week programme can be found at www.18weeks.nhs.uk
NHS Elect's support to its members to help them deliver 18 weeks
We also work with members both on the measurement and delivery of 18 weeks. We help members to identify how they could improve and streamline services and then implement the necessary changes to make this happen. We recognise that the needs of each local health community will be different and for this reason we tailor our work to the specific needs of our members. The following gives an idea of what shape this support might take.
In the Members’ Area you will find the following information:
- NHS Elect network events to share and learn from other members
- Clinical practice forum for senior nurses
- Network seminars. Topics include delivering 18 weeks, the future of the acute hospital and improving orthopaedic services
- On-site support provided by NHS Elect to review and improve service delivery
- 18 week workshops
- Reviews of current service models
- Programme to support clinical change
- A resource library of documents and links for service improvement
NHS Elect’s work on 18 weeks and service improvement is lead by Eilis Parker. Please contact Eilis Parker if you wish to explore this area further.