When the NHS Q4 Sprint launched in January, Trusts faced a hard deadline: ensure 65% of patients are seen within 18 weeks by March 2026. NHS staff across the country went the extra mile to achieve this.
At Consultant Connect, we supported 17 NHS Trusts through the Sprint. Our network of remote NHS consultants triaged more than 30,000 cases in just 12 weeks, reducing the waiting list by an average of 37%.
Patients who could begin care immediately received management plans without waiting for a hospital appointment, whilst others were redirected to appropriate services or clinically prioritised.
What we delivered
Of the 30,000 cases reviewed:
- 25% received immediate management plans
- 12% were redirected to appropriate Tier 2 services
- resulting in a total waiting list reduction of 37%
All other patients were clinically prioritised and directed onto the correct pathway.
In some specialties, the impact was even greater. In neurology and urology, 43% and 31% of patients respectively were managed through immediate care plans.
The challenge now
The Q4 Sprint showed what is possible when additional clinical capacity is brought to waiting lists at pace.
The focus now is elective recovery in H2, with March 2027’s 70% 18-week target providing a further challenge for Trusts.
Getting patients to the right care, first time, as early in the pathway as possible, is key to this. Specialist advice can support this at several points in the pathway, including Advice & Guidance, Advice & Refer, and post-referral triage.
How we can help you hit this year’s targets
1. Triage at pace
The same approach used during the Q4 Sprint can be applied to your waiting lists at the scale you need.
Remote NHS consultants review referrals, provide management plans, redirect patients to Tier 2 services where available and clinically prioritise the remainder. This helps reduce waiting lists whilst allowing local teams to focus their capacity on patients who need hospital care.
2. Flexible clinical capacity
Remote consultant capacity can be switched on quickly and scaled according to demand, providing additional clinical resource without committing to a permanent increase in workforce.
This makes it possible to target specific specialties, pathways or waiting lists where additional capacity can have the greatest impact.
3. A clinically governed front door
Specialist advice needs clear clinical governance, oversight and performance management to work effectively at scale.
Consultant Connect provides the infrastructure to make specialist advice straightforward to implement and easy for clinicians to access, with integration into existing workflows including e-RS.
There is still time to make a measurable contribution to this year’s elective recovery targets.
If you’d like more information on how our services can support your NHS area, please email info@consultantconnect.org.uk or call 01865 951207.
Related materials:
- What we do | Enhanced Advice & Guidance
- What we do | Referral Triage and Validation
- Frailty Call before Convery supports Warwickshire Trusts’ improved four-hour performance
- Press Release | All Greater Manchester GPs can now connect to specialist advice in seconds
- Case study | How a single conversation helped resolve a patient’s long-standing symptoms in Greater Manchester
- Case study | Same Day Emergency Care in South East London
- Case study | Elderly Care A&G across the NHS
