A new national theatre scheduling software, designed to increase the number of procedures, will be rolled out across NHS Scotland over the next year.

Developed by Scottish clinician-led tech company Infix, the national theatre scheduling tool improved operating room efficiency by up to 25% without the need for extra medical staff or additional theatre rooms.

The platform will now support all NHS boards to increase productivity, after successful pilots in three of Scotland’s health boards.

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Neil Gray has announced an investment of £1.2m in the technology this year.

Speaking at the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute today, the Cabinet Secretary said better use of data and digital technology is a “key part” of the government’s plans to reform services:

“This facility is emblematic of the extraordinary infrastructure and research excellence here in Scotland, which will play a crucial role in driving forward improvements in our public health.

“I’ve seen the extraordinary skill, dedication and compassion of our doctors and nurses, first hand across health and social care.

“And I’ve seen some of the exciting technologies that will deliver a healthier future not just for people in Scotland, but for people around the world.

“This technology is backed by more than five years’ worth of NHS operating times data and is just one of the initiatives that will help enable us to schedule 1.5 million procedures per year - while improving data quality to help safely increase productivity.

“This will help maximise capacity, build greater resilience and reduce waiting lists.”

Assessing an NHS Lothian pilot, Health Improvement Scotland found that the theatre scheduling technology reduced patient cancellations and waste.

The new software was also found to deliver ‘significant financial savings’ by allowing more operations to take place.

Overall, these savings are estimated to be approximately £1.8m per year.

However, the assessment also raised concerns around staff training and potential safety risks arising from data breaches, inadequate training and support for the system.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland said further data collection must accompany the rollout of this system to ensure the ‘potential value of the new system is realised’.

The platform will now support all NHS Boards to increase productivity, remove paper processes, and reduce the overall administrative burden in the creation and approval of theatre lists, which can delay patient treatment.

Neil Gray added that this system will also help better support NHS Scotland’s staff:

“Reducing the administrative burden on staff will give them more time to spend on patient care. This is a shining example of how we are embracing cutting edge tools to tackle the challenges facing health and social care.”

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