Written By: Katie McTaggart on 18th January 2022
All Professions How ToMany
NHS Organisations are now looking to insourcing and outsourcing providers as a
way to reduce their waiting list backlogs through addition capacity. With multiple national frameworks now in
place, insourced and outsourced support is becoming increasingly common.
Why are Insourcing and
Outsourcing becoming so commonplace?
Throughout
the last year, the NHS provided incredibly high volumes of elective care and
diagnostics. In fact, the NHS Confederation has said
that in October 2021, ‘the number of people seen by a consultant for the first
time for cancer was higher than before the pandemic and the fifth most in an
individual month ever.’
However,
the need to suspend elective care across a total of seven months and a
reduction in referrals throughout 2020 have meant that the demand on the NHS
for elective care and diagnostics is higher than it has ever been before.
Coupled with the ongoing pandemic, the NHS is under tremendous pressure. In
obtaining additional capacity, either through insourced or outsourced services,
the NHS can get the support it needs in reducing the backlog and managing
waiting lists.
If
you are thinking about using a third-party provider to support your department
in managing RTT waiting times, this article will help you understand what route
is best for you.
Insourcing
or Outsourcing – What Are They?
The
primary purpose for both insourcing and outsourcing is the same. Both methods
involve a third party organisation providing clinical services on behalf of
your hospital to add capacity and reduce RTT waiting times.
However,
there are some key differences – the most prominent being where the
services take place:
Of course, this main difference brings about a variety of small but still significant differences, which will determine which model is best for you.
What
Are The Differences Between Insourcing and Outsourcing?
Firstly, the result of both methods should be the same. If you are working with an experienced and quality organisation, you will benefit from:
However,
there are several differences as to how these methods reach that
outcome, and each has its pros and cons:
What are the pros and
cons of insourced clinical services?
With
an insourced model, you will have more control over the service. The service
will generally be undertaken under your CQC registration which means that your
policies and processes for clinical care must be adhered to.
All
reporting will be recorded on your internal system, which will allow you to
have complete oversight of all procedures and outcomes.
Insourcing
is often the cheaper option of the two methods, as the provider will be using
your facilities – and usually your equipment and consumables – so overhead
costs are kept to a minimum.
However,
this model is dependent on the availability of your rooms and any other agreed
resources. This limits the insourced service to running only when your
facilities are not already in use.
What are the pros and
cons of outsourced clinical services?
As
outsourced solutions take place within the supplier’s premises, services can
run concurrently to your own – meaning that they can occur at any time, without
any limit or dependency on your hospital.
Any
outsourced service must be undertaken under the CQC registration of the
supplier, which means that they hold all responsibility for the management of
any CQC-regulated activity undertaken on the service. However, this means that
the service will be conducted in line with the supplier’s policies and
processes, so you may need to consider a thorough review to make sure these
meet your requirements for quality.
Further
consideration must be taken as to the supplier’s premises, as you will need
confirmation that it meets the requirements of your patients, including
location and accessibility requirements.
Which
is Better?
The
first step is to identify your needs –
How many patients need to be seen, and over
what period?
Do you have facilities that will be available
within that timeframe – either in or out of hours?
Do you want the service to adhere to your
policies and protocols?
Do you need to be aware of patient outcomes
and service performance at all times, or would scheduled reporting be
sufficient?
If
you are looking for an option that is lower cost, with continuous oversight of
the service performance and patient outcomes, you may want to consider an
insourced service. However, you will also need to be able to provide certain
resources, including rooms and equipment.
If
your facilities are already running at full capacity, or you need a service
that runs more independently, you may want to look at an outsourced service.
Which
Services Can Be Insourced/Outsourced?
Most
elective, non-emergency services that your hospital provides can be either insourced
or outsourced to a third party. Generally, these solutions are provided for the
waiting lists of services such as diagnostics, mental health, and elective
surgery, as well as providing a variety of community services.
YMS currently provide therapeutic and diagnostic services across a range of specialities, including:
To
find out how Your Medical Services can support you with managing patient
waiting lists, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on 0207 220 0820 or [email protected]
Written By: Aimee Hughes on 18th April 2024
Our experienced compliance officer has outlined her key advice for quickly completing compliance and beginning your role with YMS
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