NENC Providers has made great progress working together across the FT community to reduce the overall size of waiting lists in our region.
Through the Provider Collaborative, we have strived to create a safe and supportive environment for operational teams to openly discuss challenges, share learning and seek support. This has involved the start of a cultural journey and shift in mindset in how our FTs work together, moving away from a world of rivalry and competition, to building true collaboration and teamworking across organisational boundaries.
Our elective care and recovery programme has focussed on three main areas:
- During 2023/24, we developed a ‘Mutual Support Framework’ which all FTs signed up to. This helps to provide more structure and guidance to facilitate the easier movement of patients between NENC Providers for their elective care.
- We have a Mutual Support Co-ordination Group, chaired by an FT Chief Operating Officer with representation from every provider. The group meets weekly with the collective goal to eliminate the longest waits across the region and ensure all internal capacity is used to best effect for patient care.
- Since December 2023, around 1,200 patients with some of the longest waiting times have been identified, with 400 patients taking up the offer to get their treatment sooner by moving to a different provider.
- Our collective performance against the 18-week national waiting time standard has consistently been the best in England in 2023/24 and around 10% better than the national average.
- We have supported the ‘Patient Initiated Digital Mutual Aid System (PIDMAS)’ through NENC Providers and put processes in place across the region ready for any further national roll out.
- We have improved how we record and validate data on waiting times. By sharing best practice and working with the national digital team, we have seen a rise in validation to 70% as a collective of NENC Providers. This is strong compared to other parts of the country with some of our FTs already reaching the national target of 90%.
- In August 2023, we held our first Outpatients Transformation workshop with all NENC Providers to discuss and agree areas of potential learning and collaboration. As part of our cultural journey, this has also involved openly sharing Trust level data for debate and consideration to help drive further quality improvements.
- In December 2023, we formally took over from NHS England in supporting the Outpatients Transformation Programme and the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme for FTs in our region.
- Our recent GIRFT visit in 2023 highlighted the good performance of NENC Providers and the particular specialities where we are leading the way as part of the Further Faster Programme. This aims to promote best practice and shared learning so that all NENC Providers maximise every opportunity to reduce 52-week waits, starting from the very first outpatient appointment.
- We are making progress on the GIRFT Theatre Utilisation programme for high volume and low complexity surgery (HVLC). Latest data for December 2023 shows NENC Providers have seen an overall increase in day case rates to 81.2% against the national target of 85%.
- We have improved theatre productivity across NENC Providers. The latest data from March 2024 shows an overall average of 80% theatre utilisation, against the national target of 85%.
- Through the Provider Collaborative we have set up new clinical alliances for General Surgery and Gynaecology to bring together consultants and clinicians across the system to share learning and good practice.
- We have also helped to set up a new steering group across the region that will focus on recovery of services and reducing waiting times for Children and Young People.
- In December 2023, we took over from the ICB in providing support to the Musculoskeletal (MSK) and Eyecare clinical alliances.
- A core focus of our work has been setting up a single point of access for Spinal services to help manage some of the pressures that our providers are facing in this speciality. This includes a new Back Pain Delivery Group.
In May 2025, healthcare leaders from across the North East and North Cumbria gathered at The Durham Centre for the first NENC Elective & UEC Spring Conference.
The event focused on sharing progress, strengthening partnerships, and shaping the future of Elective and Urgent & Emergency Care (UEC).
Key Highlights:
- Sir Jim Mackey, NHS England Transitional CEO, opened the day with insights on regional performance and how we can continue improving patient outcomes.
- Professor Tim Briggs highlighted the power of collaboration and the GIRFT approach in driving clinical improvement and elective recovery.
- The afternoon spotlighted Urgent & Emergency Care, with case studies on ambulance handovers, front door redesign, and paediatric UEC standards.
- Dr Neil O’Brien shared strategies for winter preparedness and system resilience.
The conference was a powerful reminder of what we can achieve when we work together—faster, fairer, and with patients at the heart of everything we do.
