The Importance of Insourcing for NHS Clinical Services
What is Insourcing in Healthcare?
Insourcing in healthcare refers to the practice of contracting external healthcare providers to deliver services within NHS facilities. This approach differs from outsourcing, where services are provided off-site.
Insourcing helps fill staffing gaps, manage peak periods, and ensure continuous patient care.
NHS trusts use insourcing to maintain high standards of care, reduce waiting lists, and optimise resource utilisation. This model allows for flexibility in meeting patient demands, ensuring essential services are available even during periods of high demand. The benefits of NHS insourcing are evident in its ability to adapt quickly to patient needs and improve overall service efficiency.
The Importance of Insourcing for NHS Trusts
The NHS is known for its exceptional standard of free healthcare, but it has always been under immense pressure to provide a quicker and more efficient service. The demand for healthcare services in the UK is currently as high as ever, exacerbated by factors such as inflation, an ageing population, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
To alleviate this strain and ensure timely patient care, many NHS trusts are turning to clinical insourcing services for its effectiveness with addressing capacity issues and helping to improve patient outcomes.
For Clinical Leads and Management, leveraging available resources and engaging NHS consultant-led multi-disciplinary teams through insourcing services allows for the efficient treatment of a larger number of patients. This approach ensures that patient flow can be managed more effectively and high standards of clinical care can be maintained.
Insourcing can:
- be customised to address the unique requirements of each department and trust
- incorporate external experts to share knowledge and enhance service quality
- help meet RTT targets
- boost staff and patient satisfaction
- enhance the trust’s reputation
Insourcing vs. Self-Sourcing
Comparing insourcing to self-sourcing reveals several cost and operational benefits. While self-sourcing requires NHS trusts to internally manage and recruit additional staff, insourcing can offer a more flexible and often cost-effective solution.
Insourcing can offer substantial long-term benefits, such as reduced reliance on agency staff and better resource allocation during peak periods.
Insourcing also allows hospitals to quickly adapt to changing demands without the lengthy processes associated with recruitment and training of permanent staff. This agility is crucial for maintaining service levels and improving patient satisfaction.
Key Advantages of Insourcing Clinical Services for NHS Trusts
Enhanced Operational Efficiency
Insourcing offers a promising solution to the NHS waiting list challenge by providing additional capacity and expertise within NHS facilities.
Trusts can leverage highly trained specialist teams to use space and equipment that lies unused to clear patient backlogs. This helps towards achieving the overall national wait targets and the long-term non-emergency healthcare waitlist objectives.
Improved Patient Care
With reduced waiting times and immediate access to necessary treatments, patient satisfaction and health outcomes improve. Timely care not only enhances the quality of life for patients but also reduces the risk of complications and the need for more intensive treatments later.
For Clinical Leads and Management, insourcing helps meet patient needs and expectations, fostering a more responsive and patient-centric healthcare environment.
Another key advantage is the ability to utilise underused resources within NHS hospitals during – especially over weekends. Insourced specialist teams can help NHS facilities operate at their full potential, seven days a week. An extended operating schedule offers significant benefits to patients, including working individuals and those with caregiving commitments who often struggle to find convenient weekday appointment slots.
Increased Flexibility
One of the primary benefits of NHS insourcing is the increased flexibility it offers NHS trusts. By insourcing, trusts can select specific specialisms and services to address immediate needs. This flexibility allows for the rapid deployment of resources to manage high-demand areas, ensuring patients receive timely care.
Insourcing can be arranged at short notice, making it an ideal solution for sudden surges in patient numbers or staff shortages. For example, ID Medical can provide a range of procedures and specialist services that significantly alleviate demand pressures, positively impacting patient outcomes.
Financial Benefits
By reducing the need for agency staff and avoiding the costs associated with delayed treatments, insourcing helps NHS trusts manage their budgets more effectively.
Clinical Leads and Management can see the financial benefits in terms of better resource allocation and cost management within their departments. Companies can use NHS equipment and charge lower rates per treatment, making the services productive and financially viable for trusts. Importantly, outpatient visits, diagnostics, and surgical procedures remain free at the point of care for patients, unlike expensive self-pay charges incurred when turning to private hospitals.
Quality Assurance
Quality assurance is a critical aspect of insourcing. Ensuring that external providers meet the high standards expected within the NHS is paramount. This involves rigorous vetting processes, regular performance reviews, and adherence to established clinical guidelines.
ID Medical places a strong emphasis on quality assurance, providing additional resources and support to maintain the highest standards of care. We are a CQC-registered provider, offering robust clinical assurance comprising QA and governance functions.
Localised Care
Increasing capacity within NHS hospitals through insourcing contributes to the goal of providing localised care, supporting NHS net zero ambitions.
With enhanced resources and specialised teams, more patients can be seen locally, reducing the need for referrals to hospitals further afield. This helps NHS patients be seen and treated in environments they know and trust, ensuring healthcare services are accessible to all, regardless of their geographical location.
The benefits include easier visits for patients and their families, particularly in rural areas or for frail or elderly patients who rely on good local public transport links.
Insourcing and NHS Frameworks
Insourcing operates within established NHS Frameworks, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and guidelines. These Frameworks outline the requirements for insourcing arrangements, providing a structured approach to integrating external resources within NHS facilities.
By adhering to these Frameworks, NHS trusts can ensure that insourcing is conducted efficiently and effectively.
ID Medical’s insourcing solutions are approved on all major Frameworks, enabling us to offer completely tailored services that meet the specific needs of each trust. This alignment guarantees that insourcing efforts are compliant and beneficial to overall patient care.
How ID Medical Can Help
ID Medical provides comprehensive insourcing solutions that help NHS trusts reduce wait times and enhance operational efficiency.
By offering a range of insourced clinical services, we can ensure that departments have the flexibility and resources needed to meet patient demands.
To explore how our Clinical Services Insourcing solutions can benefit your organisation, contact us today. Our team is ready to help you navigate the challenges of healthcare delivery and achieve better outcomes for your patients.