Course
Intermediate
Demand and Capacity
Demand and Capacity in Action
This training course is designed to support teams and individuals in developing the skills and capability to introduce or enhance a demand and capacity management and planning approach to improve patient flow and reduce waiting lists/times.
More about this
Course
What the course provides:
The days will be a mixture of taught content, interactive exercises, and examples of work currently underway within services, alongside plenty of discussion.
Day 1: Service/system mapping, using service/system maps to understand and improve demand and capacity management and flow
Day 2: Systems Thinking and how to apply the approach to implement effective action to improve flow and reduce waiting lists, using SPC to understand demand data
Day 3: Understanding waiting lists and effective management strategies, introduction to demand and capacity tools, helping patients to wait well
Day 4: Approaches to optimise flow and reduce waiting lists/times
Day 5: A dedicated follow up day
Outcomes of the course:
An understanding of tools and methods for Demand and Capacity management and an increased confidence in understanding service data. The ability to use data to understand the interrelationship between demand and capacity and use this to plan improvement initiatives. To work with service users on how to improve flow through services, such as improving waiting times or experience.
Who would find this course useful?
Teams of up to six people from a service - including operations, service or business support managers, clinicians, administrative staff, and service analysts - who are interested in developing their demand and capacity skills. Participation from related pathway services or partner organisations influencing flow is also welcomed.
This training is delivered by:
Helen Wharam
Quality Improvement Methodologist
Next available dates:
The next cohort for Demand and Capacity in Action will start on 16th October 2025.
Next steps:
Applications for the 2025 Demand and Capacity in Action cohort are now closed. If you would like to find out about future dates please get in touch with the team.
"Our mindset of looking at demand and capacity has changed our way of working: we are looking at processes, challenging what is done etc. We have improved confidence to question and challenge."
"This course has given us the confidence to challenge decision makers in an informed way."
"We wanted to make immediate changes but only had an overview and we now realise that we have to understand why we are making changes and to look at the evidence for making changes."