Publication - Progress report
Demand optimisation in laboratory medicine phase V: final report June 2022
Demand optimisation is defined as the process by which diagnostic test use is optimised to maximise clinical utility, which in turn optimises clinical care and drives more efficient use of associated scarce NHS resources. Report from the National Demand Optimisation Group (NDOG).
6. Benefits Realisation
Based on the recommendations outline in section 4, the below table outlines the benefits realisation plan for the next phase of the programme.
| Benefit name | Benefit description | Who will receive the benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Health Savings | Ensuring appropriate testing will contribute to improving population health through, for example, earlier diagnosis on sexual health testing we reduce unnecessary spread of disease | Population |
| Patient Benefit | Through our programme, ensuring each patient has the right test at the right time in the patient pathway, we improve their care and reduce unnecessary repeat testing | Population |
| Pathway Savings | As well as cost savings within diagnostic services, there will be savings elsewhere in the system, for example unnecessary hospital admissions due to lack of appropriate monitoring | Whole System |
| Data Availability | Robust data will be available to support identification of variation in requesting/referral for a range of lab tests | Primary Care |
| Data Analysis | Analysed data demonstrating variation at practice, cluster, NHS Board, regional and national levels will be publicly available | Primary Care |
| Education | A range of educational materials to guide referrers on the most appropriate use of tests will be available to all referrers within NHS Scotland | Primary Care |
| Recovery Monitoring | Data demonstrating variation in the recovery of cellular pathology services will be readily available | NHS Boards, Scottish Government |
| Quality Improvement | A range of quality improvement tools (and QI support) will be available for referrers to use to tackle variation | Primary Care |
| Reduced Variation | Unwarranted variation in testing requesting will be reduced. | NHS Boards, Scottish Government |
| Cost Savings | Reducing unnecessary testing will save laboratory consumable and overheads | NHS Boards, Scottish Government |
| Staff Savings | Reducing unnecessary testing will reduce the burden on lab staffing, potentially improving turnaround times and/or contributing to service sustainability | Lab management |
Contact
Email: Kachi.Okorie@gov.scot
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