Waiting List Conference 2026: From Backlog to Breakthrough
Blog post
22nd June 2026

Reducing elective care waiting lists remains one of the most pressing challenges facing the NHS. With more than seven million people currently waiting for treatment in England, there is growing recognition that addressing the backlog requires more than additional capacity alone. It demands better use of data, new ways of working, and stronger collaboration across organisations and disciplines.

Complex problems and Multi-Disciplinary Teams
Blog post
2nd June 2026

Many moons ago, I was fortunate enough to observe a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) in Dudley. The team, which today would be called an ‘Integrated Neighbourhood Team’, included multiple specialist nurses, a voluntary sector link worker, a GP, a social worker, and other professionals.

They were discussing different cases. Each was complex in its own way: physical health problems blended and blurred with social and psychological needs; cases worsening, cases improving; treatment plans followed, others unravelling.

Failure demand as a route to success?
Blog post
14th May 2026

When we began looking at failure demand in the NHS, I assumed most of our time would be spent in familiar territory: productivity metrics, appointment volumes, activity data, and trends that could be graphed and compared. Failure demand is, after all, usually introduced as an efficiency concept: work created when a system fails to meet need the first time.

But what stayed with me most, from interviews and conversations across the system, was something else entirely.