Vanguard Healthcare Solutions publishes a new white paper

"Reducing waiting lists, generating funds, improving lives: establishing a surgical hub"

On 22 April 2024, senior leaders from across UK healthcare trusts met in Coventry for a roundtable discussion about the establishment and optimisation of surgical hubs.

Chaired by Chris Blackwell-Frost, the meeting began with a question-and-answer session focusing on the surgical hub at South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust, which
has been highly successful in working through waiting lists and preventing additional acute pressures that arise from cancelled elective procedures.

The discussion then transitioned to explore the experiences of all participants. The candid sharing of individual trust and wider system issues, with a combination of learning and advice, provided key insights into the management of surgical hubs and the protection of vital elective capacity. All participants identified and recognised challenges that must still be addressed, and a joint understanding and shared approach was agreed to be the way forward in best practice.

Components of success

Reflecting the discussion of the assembled group of healthcare leaders, the white paper covers areas such as:

• Flexible infrastructure and optimisation of spaces
• Demonstrating value
• Fitting surgical hubs into integrated care systems

Download the white paper here to better understand how a surgical hub can help your Trust to reduce waiting lists, generate funds and improve lives.

" As new surgical hubs are launched, the NHS must consider that each hub is capable of continuous transformation and innovation, resulting in more patients being treated in a timely fashion. It is also imperative that hubs are viewed as system assets, working to reduce variation in waiting times for patients, maintain strong links with community diagnostic centres and contribute to one-stop models of care."

Stella Vig National Medical Director for Secondary Care, NHS England, UK Consultant Vascular and General Surgeon, Croydon University Hospital, London, UK.

The Vanguard mobile theatre, used as a surgical hub by South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust