About the Demand and Capacity Programme
We are the national Demand and Capacity Programme, established in 2016. Our purpose is to support the NHS to better understand demand on its services and plan sufficient capacity, so that patients do not wait longer than necessary for treatment. We provide the NHS with industry standard demand and capacity models, modelling approaches and resource tools to achieve this aim.
Goals
- To work with system leaders and support them in the development of local capacity, capability and confidence in demand and capacity modelling and reduce reliance upon external or central expert resources.
- To make sure the principles, methodological approaches and datasets are understood and recognised by both commissioner and provider organisations, to produce shared health economy plans.
- To develop a suite of national tools and models which are produced to an approved and accepted methodology to make sure there is a consistency of approach.
- To support integrated care system level demand and capacity modelling which provides the opportunity to take a system view and incorporate population health and needs prediction, to underpin medium and long-term strategic resources (including workforce) planning. It also provides evidence-based decision making for the re-allocation of capacity within a system and new ways of care delivery.