West Yorkshire Programme

The West Yorkshire Programme was a one year programme commissioned in 2004 by the strategic health authority and delivered through the Improvement Foundation's Yorkshire area team.

The aim was to provide practical support to PCTs in developing robust commissioning systems that facilitate changes in service delivery for the benefit of patients.

The organisations were grouped into five geographical sites based on how patients traditionally accessed services.

The overall goal of the programme was to eliminate unnecessary waits and delays for routine elective care and improve the patient experience by redesigning care pathways in orthopaedics, urology and ear, nose and throat, and redesigning commissioning systems in PCTs.

This programme is completed. If you are interested in working with the Improvement Foundation please go to How we can help or click here to contact us.

Who is involved

All the PCTs and acute trusts in the West Yorkshire SHA area.

What we are doing

The programme involved a simulation day exercise on effective commissioning which included understanding of payment by results, patient choice and clinical and patient engagement.

Key elements of the programme included:

  • Incentive schemes to shape demand
  • Referral benchmarking and review systems
  • Integrated teams with patients at the centre
  • Guidelines and protocols to improve patient management within primary care
  • Simplified referral methods
  • Referral management systems
  • A primary care-led musculoskeletal service
  • Introduction of GPwSIs alongside extended-scope physiotherapists
  • Establishment of a 'Physio Direct' service
  • Easier access to advice and information for patients and clinicians
  • Realigning resources to support redesigned pathways

Key results

CHANGE PRINCIPLES MEASURES RESULTS POPULATION COVERAGE PARTICIPANTS

Care pathway redesign
Develop effective multidisciplinary teams

Process map and analyse the current pathway

Apply the principles of improving access

Engage and involve patients and carers in pathway redesign

Systems redesign
Create the environment for change

Establish robust data/information systems

Establish effective demand/capacity management arrangements within the PCT

Align resources to support care pathway redesign and improvement

Agree, monitor and manage activity and financial performance

Systems
% of practice receiving benchmarked referral information

% of practices involved in referral incentive schemes

Care pathways
Length of wait from referral to first specialist appointment to first definitive treatment

 

Reduced waiting times of minimum of 50%

57% reduction in numbers of patients waiting to access physiotherapy

Reduced outpatient appointments by 40%

Referral management systems now in majority of PCTs

3,000,000

15 PCTs
5 Acute Trusts
5 Geographical Sites

Site improvement teams consisted of clinicians and managers from participating organisations

150 people engaged in the improvement teams including service users