Demand and
Capacity
Working to improve flow and decrease waiting times
Effective health and care services depend on the right balance between the demand for care and the capacity to deliver it.
Explore how we use demand and capacity tools to understand pressures on services, identify bottlenecks, and support more sustainable, efficient ways of working.
What is Demand and Capacity, and why does it matter?
In the NHS, demand refers to the need for healthcare services - the number of people who require care and the complexity of their needs. Capacity is the ability of services to meet that demand - including staffing, space, equipment, time, and funding. When demand exceeds capacity, services experience delays, pressure, and reduced quality of care. When capacity exceeds demand, resources may be underused.
Understanding the relationship between demand and capacity is essential for planning, improvement, and sustainability across the health and care system. It's not just about numbers, it’s about making sure services are safe, effective, and centred around people’s needs.
At the Academy of Research and Improvement, we support teams to explore and analyse demand and capacity to improve how care is planned and delivered. This includes:
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Helping teams collect and interpret relevant data
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Working alongside services to co-design solutions that are practical and sustainable
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Building skills and confidence through training, coaching and shared learning
By embedding demand and capacity thinking into improvement work, we help services make informed decisions that lead to better care for people and a better experience for staff.
The programme was really eye opening about the data we gather and why; it has given ideas to try to make it more meaningful and actually reflect how our service is performing.
Demand and Capacity Programme Attendee
The day was very insightful and really sparked an interest in demand and capacity planning and management.
Demand and Capacity Programme Attendee
I now really understand the importance of using data to be pro-active in capacity and demand issues and not just use it as a way to add evidence to theory.
Demand and Capacity Programme Attendee
Real Feedback, Real Impact
Hear directly from colleagues who have completed the course. Their experiences, insights, and the impact it’s had on their work.
