Optimising Patient Care
Understanding Avoidable Demand in General Practice.
General Practices are constantly seeking ways to improve patient care while managing increasing pressures on resources.
One key area of focus is understanding and addressing avoidable demand - the unnecessary workload created when patient needs aren't met correctly the first time.
By tackling this issue, practices can significantly enhance efficiency, improve patient experiences, and create a more sustainable primary care system.
What is Failure Demand?
Failure demand refers to the unnecessary workload created when the healthcare system or GP practice fails to address patient needs correctly the first time. This leads to patients having to make additional contact to resolve issues that should have been handled initially.
The Scope of the Problem*
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Research shows 20% of all patient interactions are driven by avoidable demand, meaning one in five patient contacts could potentially be prevented.
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On average, practice-related avoidable demand accounts for about 2,000 unnecessary patient consultations per practice annually.
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Across England, this translates to approximately 13 million avoidable appointments each year.
Types of Avoidable Demand
System-Related (10%)*
These inefficiencies in the broader healthcare system lead to superfluous patient interactions:
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Delayed referrals
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Poor communication between different healthcare providers
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Issues with prescription renewals from other parts of the system
Practice-Related (10%)*
These inefficiencies within the GP practice itself create additional, preventable work:
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Unclear communication with patients
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Inefficient appointment booking systems
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Inadequate follow-up procedures
*These statistics are based on data collected by the Demand and Capacity Optimisation Tool team over a two-year period across multiple GP practices in England.
These figures also show:
Approximately 2,000 avoidable consultations per practice annually | An estimated 13 million unnecessary appointments across England each year
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Overworked staff due to unnecessary appointments
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Increased patient wait times
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Reduced capacity for necessary care
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Potential for patient dissatisfaction and complaints
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Inefficient use of limited NHS resources
Addressing failure demand can lead to improved patient experiences, enhanced staff well-being, and increased practice efficiency.
Want to see how failure demand affects your practice?
How Does Failure Demand Impact General Practice?
Failure demand significantly affects practice efficiency and patient satisfaction:
The Demand and Capacity Optimisation Tool
Tackling Failure Demand
The Demand and Capacity Optimisation Tool (DCOT) is a game-changer for GP surgeries looking to address failure demand.
Unlike traditional clinical systems, DCOT provides unique insights into what should have happened, not just what did happen, offering a comprehensive view of practice operations.
DCOT captures and analyses data on:
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Patient appointments
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Incoming calls
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Prescriptions
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Staff rotas
This data is then visualised in user-friendly formats, highlighting areas where failure demand occurs and allowing practices to better match their capacity to actual patient needs.
The DCOT Difference
DCOT's unique ability to identify failure demand sets it apart. For instance, if a patient repeatedly contacts the practice due to unclear communication, DCOT doesn't just log the contacts. It identifies this as a pattern of failure demand, revealing true opportunities for improvement.
By providing practices with actionable, trusted data, DCOT drives meaningful improvements:
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Highlights specific opportunities to reduce failure demand
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Guides actions to implement improvements
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Aligns demand and capacity with Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) indicators
Ready to optimise your practice by reducing failure demand?
"Implementing the Demand and Capacity Optimisation Tool to address failure demand has been transformative for our practice."
"We now have a clear, data-driven understanding of our actual demand, which has allowe"d us to allocate our resources more effectively. This has led to improved patient experiences and a more balanced workload for our staff."
- Dr XX of XX