ABHI & NHS England Round Table Update
On 22nd July, ABHI hosted a round table with industry leaders and senior executives from the NHS England/Improvement.
The purpose of the meeting was to highlight the measures taken in other countries that have supported a rapid return of planned care at significant levels, and to discuss how industry can support the NHS in the restoration and recovery of its elective activity.
Our key messages were:
- The creation of “COVID-protected” capacity is crucial and should be maintained in the event of any subsequent waves.
- Operational efficiency should be optimised by appropriate infection prevention measures and processes.
- There is a need to improve patient communication to reassure and encourage attendance. This should be supported by a strong and consistent public communication campaign.
- The 14-day isolation period is a significant barrier and should be reconsidered, with an appropriate testing regime used to mitigate requirements.
We presented examples from Spain, Germany, China and Italy, where simple measures have enabled them to return to close to pre-COVID capacity.
NHS England expressed their thanks for the information and recognised that “we are all in this together”, welcoming the opportunity to work with industry and gain more insight into international best practice. We are now working with NHS colleagues to formalise this platform.
We agreed follow-up discussions on patient communications, operational efficiency and the use of technology, particularly in theatres and endoscopy, where activity levels are a particular concern. Further work on infection prevention measures, such as maintaining "COVID-protected" pathways in mixed sites, will also be pursued.
The need to maximise capacity in the system was well accepted, and recent government announcements confirm the continued use of the private sector until March 2021.
Systems are now in place for regional ”test beds” to rapidly pilot new approaches that can then be implemented nationally. Concerns still remain in some localities about the ability to effectively deal with subsequent waves and maintain planned care capacity. The national view is that it will be critical to maintain elective capacity, and work is underway to ensure there are "COVID-protected" sites, or pathways, to support this.
Members will be kept updated as discussions progress, and we will be contacting providers in specific technology areas that have been identified by NHS England as having the potential to expedite activity.
