Trusts across Greater Manchester (GM) are working together on initiatives to tackle the waiting list backlogs in the region.

For children and young people, a number of surgical hubs have been set up in GM. The hubs provide extra capacity to treat children and operate 6 days a week. Staff passports have been introduced that enable staff to work at different hospitals across GM.

A new ‘Walk In Walk Out’ model of care has also been introduced to further increase the number of children that can be treated. The model redefines what day case surgery means for children. They are able to walk into the unit for their procedure and, with enhanced recovery, go home sooner if they are well to do so. Physiological discharge criteria are used to assess children post-surgery. The model enables us to maximise the number of children that can be treated.

Workforce has been a key consideration in the development of the ‘Walk In Walk Out’ model. A nursing competency check is used to find appropriate staff. This is not based on banding and so increases the availability of staff to be able to work. This reduces staffing pressures which is an issue within recovery. The competences are generic which means they are transferable from adult nurses.

A learning event has taken place with all GM hospitals to share this approach with a view to it being introduced in more areas.

Due to the large numbers of children waiting for paediatric dentistry/oral surgery, work has also been undertaken to clinically review the waiting list and identify where patients may be able to be safely treated within a community setting.