Trusts are united in their determination to deliver high value care for patients, service users and taxpayers. They are doing everything within their gift to recover care backlogs as quickly as possible and manage ever-increasing demand levels, while continuing to offer first-class patient care. This report highlights a range of trust-led initiatives that are aimed at targeting productivity growth.
However, although trusts have some degree of control over how they can improve productivity, it is clear that government must address the long-term enablers of productivity growth. If the NHS is to be more productive in the future, the government must look at adopting a step change in capital investment to repair the dilapidated NHS estate and expand capacity across primary and community care to allow for a greater shift in care closer to home. NHS Providers' Picture of health briefing sets out the rationale for building a new infrastructure programme to ensure the next generation NHS has the resources it requires to deliver improved productivity levels and cope with the demand levels of the future (NHS Providers, 2024).
At the heart of the NHS' drive to improve productivity levels is staff – and not in terms of asking them to work even harder. Government must ensure the LTWP is fully implemented and funded, as well as enabling staff to maximise the productivity of new digital technologies and investing to improve the estate in which they work. Furthermore, in order to provide care in the right place at the right time and free up capacity across the NHS, trusts want to see the government deliver a reformed and fully funded social care system to enable social care providers to continue supporting patients at home.
As evidenced by the various case studies in this report, it is vital that conversations on improving the productivity of the NHS should focus on targeting improvement towards what matters most to patients – improved health outcomes. By taking a patient-first approach to improving productivity, it will be possible to improve clinical outcomes, offer better support to staff and achieve better value for money for taxpayers.