Post-pandemic, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust had one of the worst cancer waiting lists in the country. But with support from our world-first mobile urology unit, the organisation saw a dramatic turnaround. We helped it clear its prostate biopsy backlog and jump up the league tables. In the space of a few months, UHL went from having the most deteriorating backlog in the country to becoming one of the top three most improved trusts for cancer.
Our collaboration with UHL won the coveted Gold Award at the HSJ Partnership Awards 2024 for ‘Most Effective Contribution to Improving Cancer Outcomes.’
Here’s how we did it—and how we can support your trust to do the same.
First, we visited a proposed UHL site and began installing the electrical, water, waste and IT utilities needed to support our mobile unit.
Next, we kitted it out to perform innovative local anaesthetic trans perineal (LATP) prostate biopsy and transrectal ultrasound. But the fully staffed and equipped units can deliver multiple service lines efficiently in community-based settings.
The process of mobilisation and delivery took a total of ten days, allowing UHL to rapidly ramp up its biopsy capacity.
LATP procedures offer high accuracy with a low infection risk, reducing the need for follow-up biopsies or antibiotics. As they are performed under local rather than general anaesthetic, they have faster recovery times and require less preparation. This provides a better experience for the patient and means clinics can operate at higher volumes.
We managed to perform 300 biopsies over 32 clinics, improving UHL’s urology waitlist by 67%. Patients on the list for LATP procedures saw their waiting times fall from an average of 16 weeks to 4. We also reduced antibiotic use to nothing, while maintaining a 0% sepsis rate.
“We managed to perform 300 biopsies over 32 clinics, improving UHL’s urology waitlist by 67%. Patients on the list for LATP procedures saw their waiting times fall from an average of 16 weeks to 4. We also reduced antibiotic use to nothing, while maintaining a 0% sepsis rate.”
Patient experience is a key priority for us, so we made sure patients were comfortable in the mobile environment. Small extra touches like providing tea and biscuits post-procedure helped patients feel welcome, calm and cared for.
Feedback from people who used the clinic was very positive. I was “put at ease on arrival,” and each stage of the procedure was explained “very clearly,” said one patient. I was “looked after very well [by a] lovely professional team. Thank you so much.”
“As a clinician it was rewarding to see how pleased and to hear how grateful patients were to be receiving their investigation after a long wait,” says our award-winning advanced nurse practitioner Jonah Rusere.
If you think we could support services at your trust, get in touch at enquiry@sahdiagnostics.com.