Hospitals in England could generate an extra £208,000 a year by introducing mobile operating theatres to meet the increase in demand for day case ophthalmic surgery, a study has found.
Mobile building supplier, Vanguard Healthcare, has this week published findings of a joint venture study with the British Association of Day Surgery to evaluate and quantify the cost advantages to the NHS of deploying temporary facilities to reduce waiting times for ophthalmic surgical procedures.
The study was carried out over a one-month period and revealed that a hospital in England can typically generate an approximate monthly income of around £208,000 and net surpluses of nearly £60,000 as a result of using a mobile operating theatre for day case ophthalmic surgery. The income from ‘Payment by Results' (PbR) tariffs was compared against the hire costs that included staff to evaluate whether this is a viable financial solution for hospitals.
For the research, clinical staff monitored the use of the surgical unit for an equivalent of 39 half-day sessions in November 2011, which was then retrospectively analysed before taking into account theatre costs such as nursing and medical staff and consumables.
The NHS is not about generating profits or surpluses, but clearly if the deployment of mobile surgical facilities in instances like these enables the NHS to make significant savings and improve patient care at the same time then the benefits clearly speak for themselves
It was identified that the hospital at the centre of the study could have achieved 46 half-day sessions during the 23 working days in November. Had the unit been fully operational during the period, an estimated income of £245,000 and ‘profits' of £85,000 could have been achieved in the month.
Mary Smallbone, Vanguard Healthcare's marketing and operations director, said it was important for NHS suppliers to carry out studies in an effort to give finance managers the information they need to make spending decisions in the current economic climate. She added: "Our findings demonstrate the significant cost efficiencies that a temporary operating theatre such as this can provide a hospital, in addition to providing supplementary surgical facilities and increasing opportunities to manage and maintain NHS waiting list targets. Based on our discussions with managers and clinicians, this is an opportunity that many hospitals are keen to explore given their increasing need to manage income and costs while delivering greater efficiencies."
Smallbone presented the research results and cost benefit ratios with Angela Dunn, Vanguard’s commercial accountant, to more than 250 delegates from across the UK and Europe at the 23rd British Association of Day Surgery Annual Scientific Meeting.
She said: "The NHS is not about generating profits or surpluses, but clearly if the deployment of mobile surgical facilities in instances like these enables the NHS to make significant savings and improve patient care at the same time then the benefits clearly speak for themselves.”
