Barts Health NHS Trust

The Challenge

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the trust accrued a large backlog of patients waiting for outpatient electroencephalography (EEG) appointments. Outpatient EEGs are predominantly used for the diagnosis of epilepsy. Delays in diagnosis can lead to subsequent delays in treatment.

The service that was provided was excellent, and would not have been possible without the proactive nature of the team and the exemplary team members allocated to this project.

Sam Tyrell | Service Delivery Manager – Neurophysiology Department – The Royal London Hospital

The Solution

In October 2021, MediServices Healthcare worked in partnership with Bart’s Health NHS Trust to reduce waiting times for outpatient EEG appointments. MediServices Healthcare was tasked with clearing a backlog of 500 patients.

As drivers of innovation, we set up an end-to-end service, this included processing referrals, booking appointments, and providing all neurophysiological equipment and consumables. Our clinics were held at two external sites based in central London which are otherwise known for providing physiotherapy services.

In addition to our EEG service, we also supported the trust by running independent electromyography (EMG) clinics using the same model, allowing for a total of 1250 patients to be seen sooner. The solutions we provide are in keeping with the vision of NHS’s long-term plan which has expressed the need for the physical separation of elective care from urgent and emergency care. Under the new proposals, community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are planned to be established nationwide with the aim of getting patients tested faster and more conveniently. At MediServices Healthcare, we are proud to be leaders of change by transforming how diagnostic services are delivered.

In order to support our diagnostic backlogs, following a competitive tender MediServices Healthcare was contracted to support us for a period of 9 months. During this time they helped us to provide both EEG and EMG patients with their tests in a timely manner.

Coordinating the effective transfer of information and contacting patients for both EEG and EMG tests was a huge undertaking. However, the service that was provided was excellent, and would not have been possible without the proactive nature of the team and the exemplary team members allocated to this project. I would like to thank MediServices Healthcare, most sincerely, for their patience and the high-quality service that was provided over the period of 10 months.

Sam Tyrell | Service Delivery Manager – Neurophysiology Department – The Royal London Hospital