Established practice
Your theatres and supply chain are costing you more than you realise
A multi-theatre hospital running below full utilisation can leave a substantial sum in revenue on the table each year. Rising consumable costs compound the damage, yet the waste remains largely invisible without the right analysis.
- steps
- 7
- steps
- to start
- 1 week
- to start
The short answer
Theatre time and consumables are the two biggest costs you can control. Most of the lost theatre time sits in late starts, early finishes, gaps between cases and on-the-day cancellations, and most of the supply chain overspend sits in a small number of high-value categories such as implants. Measure both properly for eight weeks before you change anything, then work on the largest few causes with the consultants who own the lists.
7 steps
Do it yourself: step by step
0 of 7 done
Write down how you measure scheduled session time, touch time (knife to skin to patient out, or anaesthetic start to end, pick one), late start, early finish, turnaround and on-the-day cancellation. Use the same definitions in every report.
- Time
- 1 week
- Typical cost
- Staff time only
- Who does it
- Theatre manager with finance
Done when: A one-page definitions sheet signed off by the medical director.
This problem is Solvable.
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Weekly theatre and consumables dashboard
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Weekly theatre and consumables dashboard
Week ending: [date] Prepared by: [name]
Theatre time
| Measure | This week | Last week | 8-week average | Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions run | ||||
| Scheduled session minutes | ||||
| Touch time minutes | ||||
| Touch time utilisation (%) | 85% | |||
| Sessions starting more than 15 minutes late | ||||
| Sessions finishing more than 30 minutes early | ||||
| Average turnaround between cases (minutes) | ||||
| On-the-day cancellations | ||||
| Cancellations for hospital reasons (equipment, staff, beds) | 0 |
Lost minutes by cause
| Cause | Minutes lost | Top specialty | Action owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late start | |||
| Turnaround | |||
| Early finish | |||
| Cancellation |
Consumables
| Procedure | Cases | Consumables cost per case | Previous quarter | Variation between consultants (lowest to highest) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Procedure 1] | ||||
| [Procedure 2] | ||||
| [Procedure 3] |
Actions this week
- [Action, owner, due date]
- [Action, owner, due date]
The 85% touch time figure is the GIRFT target set for NHS providers. Use it as a reference point, not a contract.
Avoid these
Common mistakes
- Measuring utilisation as booked time rather than touch time, which hides the gaps.
- Publishing consultant-level data openly before each consultant has seen and challenged their own figures.
- Cutting consumables by switching products without surgeon agreement, then losing the surgeons.
- Pre-assessing too close to surgery, which drives on-the-day cancellations.
- Running a one-off efficiency project with no weekly reporting afterwards.
Free personal check
Done by Paul Robinson, not software
Give me three numbers and I'll show you what lost theatre time is costing you
What I need from you
- Theatre sessions per week
- Average utilisation of booked session time (%)
- On-the-day cancellations per month
What you get
- What your lost time is worth per year
- How you compare with typical independent hospital levels
- The three causes to tackle first
Within 2 working days
No sign-in, no sales call. I read every request myself and reply on WhatsApp.
Free tools
Check where you stand
Benchmarks
85% theatre touch time utilisation
GIRFT target for integrated care systems and providers by 2024/25, a useful reference for independent theatres
60 to 90 minutes a session
Typical combined loss from late starts, turnarounds and early finishes in a theatre that does not measure them (Solvable estimate: for example a 20-minute late start, three turnarounds each 10 minutes over and a 20-minute early finish)
Solvable estimate
Paul Robinson
14 years in UK private healthcare
I solve this one for hospitals
Want a hand? I'll look at your situation and tell you the three things I'd tackle first.
A few quick questions, about two minutes. I read every one myself and usually reply the same day.
No sales call unless you ask for one. Just a straight answer from me.
I reply personally, usually the same day.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What utilisation should we aim for?
GIRFT set 85% touch time as the target for NHS systems and providers by 2024/25. Independent hospitals with a high share of day cases can reach similar levels. Above about 90% you start to see overruns and staff overtime (Solvable estimate).
How do we get consultants to engage?
Show each consultant their own data privately first, ask what gets in the way, and act on what they tell you about equipment, staff and pre-assessment before asking them to change.
Should we cut sessions that are underused?
Often yes. Consolidating two half-used lists into one full list saves staff cost and frees a slot for a consultant who needs it.
Where is the quickest consumables saving?
Usually implants and single-use packs, where surgeon preference has created several suppliers for the same product.
Do we need software?
Not to start. Eight weeks of accurate paper or spreadsheet data is enough to find the main causes.
Last reviewed:
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