As the NHS grapples with record-breaking elective care backlogs, a new narrative is emerging.
One that shifts the focus from reactive treatment to proactive patient empowerment.
In a recent webinar hosted by ORCHA, a panel of experts from across the healthcare ecosystem came together to explore how digital innovation, intelligent infrastructure, and patient-facing technologies can transform the elective care journey.
Here’s a round-up of the key insights and takeaways from the session in case you missed it!
If you’d like to watch the session on demand, please contact alison.johnson@orchahealth.com.
Charlotte Refsum, former GP and now at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, opened with a powerful message: elective care recovery is not just a clinical challenge, it’s a political one. With over 6 million people waiting, the NHS is under pressure to deliver not just care, but confidence in the system.
“80% of people on the elective waiting list are waiting for their first outpatient appointment or diagnostic – not surgery. That’s where the opportunity lies.”
Charlotte highlighted the need to transform the waiting experience from passive to active, especially since many patients are dealing with modifiable risk factors. The NHS App, she argued, could be a gateway to empowering patients with tools to manage their health while they wait, but only if we can validate and scale digital solutions effectively.
Barry Mulholland, CEO of MBI Health, brought a sharp operational lens to the discussion. He argued that the problem isn’t just the size of the backlog, it’s the outdated infrastructure underpinning it.
“We don’t need faster horses. We need a different infrastructure.”
Barry introduced the concept of the “front log” (the 80% of patients waiting to be seen) and made the case for intelligent infrastructure that enables continuous validation, two-way communication, and algorithmic triage. Without this, he warned, we’ll never catch up.
Dr. Will Carroll, consultant anaesthetist at NHS Mid Cheshire, offered a sobering view from the front lines. He described how deconditioned patients, those whose health deteriorates while waiting, create cascading challenges for surgical teams.
“One poorly optimised patient can derail an entire theatre list.”
Will advocated for digital tools that support prehabilitation, remote monitoring, and post-op recovery. These tools don’t just improve outcomes they reduce cancellations, protect capacity, and empower patients to take an active role in their care.
Anthony Tracey, Digital Director at Hywel Dda Health Board, emphasised the need to treat elective care as a logistics challenge. Drawing parallels with hotel and retail industries, he called for dynamic scheduling, digital-first communication, and a single version of the truth.
“Tesco has been letting you book a slot for years. The NHS doesn’t. That has to change.”
Anthony also stressed the importance of digital inclusion and co-designing solutions with patients to ensure accessibility and engagement.
Alison Johnson, Head of UK Health Systems at ORCHA, closed the session by showcasing CareQ, a new solution that delivers personalised, pathway-specific digital support to patients while they wait.
“We know what works. We just need to get it into patients’ hands at the right time.”
CareQ bundles clinically assured apps and delivers them via SMS or patient portals, enabling patients to manage pain, mobility, mental health, and more, all before they step into a hospital.
The elective care crisis is complex, but the path forward is clear: we must move from passive waiting to active engagement.
That means rethinking infrastructure, embracing digital, and – most importantly – trusting patients to be partners in their own care.
Digital health is a proven solution, with evidence showing it can improve patient outcomes and reduce system strain. But the real challenge? Getting the right app to the right patient at the right time.
That’s where ORCHA’s CareQ comes in.
CareQ helps NHS teams turn waiting time into preparation time. It empowers patients with personalised digital tools to ‘wait well’ and get treatment-ready. By reducing the risk of cancellations and boosting efficiency, CareQ accelerates elective recovery.
If you’d like to learn more about how CareQ could help your organisation, alison.johnson@orchahealth.com.
The NHS’s new Innovator Passport, announced as part of the latest 10-Year Plan, is being talked about as a big step forward. In theory, it offers a single, joined-up way for digital health products to navigate the system, a central process that could save time, reduce duplication, and help good ideas scale faster.
It’s a promising idea. But it also sounds a lot like something we’ve heard before.
Let’s look at DTAC. Launched back in 2021, the Digital Technology Assessment Criteria was meant to bring a clear, consistent standard for digital health across the NHS. It set out the rules around clinical safety, data protection, usability and so on. Four and a half years later, it’s still not being used consistently. In many places, it’s barely used at all. Some regions follow it closely, others do their own thing. The result is that many innovators are still repeating the same assessments over and over, just framed slightly differently each time.
So when we hear promises about a streamlined, centralised process, we need to ask: how will this be different?
If done properly, the Innovator Passport could solve a lot of problems. Right now, the process for getting a digital product into the NHS is complex and inconsistent. A national route, one that gives assurance, provides support, and is trusted by commissioners, would be a big win. It would help remove unnecessary barriers and allow the system to focus on backing products that are safe, effective and ready to scale.
But unless the process is actually used and respected across the system, it won’t make a difference. And based on what we’ve seen with DTAC, we know that a good idea on paper doesn’t always translate into real-world change.
DTAC had the right intentions. But it never really got embedded. There was no mandate to use it, and no national follow-through to make sure it was applied consistently. That led to confusion for innovators and frustration for commissioners. In too many places, it became optional, just another thing to add to a checklist.
If the Innovator Passport is going to work, it needs to avoid the same traps:
Most people working in digital health aren’t asking for shortcuts, they just want a clear, fair and consistent route into the system. Right now, it’s not clear. Every region has its own version of the rules. And even when national standards exist, like DTAC, they’re not applied in a joined-up way.
The Innovator Passport has the potential to change that. But it will only work if it actually opens doors. If regions can still ignore it, or run their own versions, it won’t fix the problem. It’ll just add another layer.
There’s a lot to like about the idea of an Innovator Passport. The goals are the right ones. But we’ve been here before. If this is going to be more than just another policy promise, it needs to be backed by action, and that means national consistency, clear incentives, and proper support.
This is a chance to learn from DTAC and build something better. Let’s not waste it.
If you’re a digital health supplier trying to reach patients faster, or an organisation keen to support access to trusted digital tools, we’d love to talk. Get in touch at: Jordan.Hawkings@ORCHAHealth.com.
By Jordan Hawkings, Business Development Manager, ORCHA.