Elective surgical hubs for helping the recovery of elective services: a national survey in England.

INTRODUCTION: Elective surgical hubs focusing on high-volume routine surgery using protected facilities and ringfenced resources are key to NHS England's elective recovery strategy. In May 2021, the Getting It Right First Time initiative introduced the high-volume low-complexity programme to coordinate new and existing hubs nationally, and to provide a framework for delivery. This paper presents results from the first national survey to identify their prevalence, location and configuration, the provision of care offered and the contextual setting within healthcare providers in order to provide a strong foundation for future research. METHODS: NHS regional leads were invited to participate in a survey conducted in March 2022 and disseminated by NHS England. RESULTS: A total of 87 elective surgical hubs were identified across 64 acute NHS trusts in England. London, the Midlands and the South East had the greatest concentration of hubs per trust. The contextual setting of hubs within healthcare providers varied widely. Two-fifths (43%) were configured as stand-alone, 34% as integrated and 23% as ringfenced hubs. Half (49%) were established before 2019. Seventy-six per cent catered for patients attending for either day-case or inpatient surgery. The majority (72%) covered multiple specialties, with 80% specialising in trauma and orthopaedic surgery. Two-fifths (43%) provided enhanced care. CONCLUSIONS: Elective surgical hubs are widespread across NHS regions in England. There is wide variation in hub configuration and capacity as well as in the provision of care offered and their contextual setting within healthcare providers, suggesting that the optimal hub model has not been established. Further research into the efficacy of elective hubs is required to aid their potential role in reducing waiting lists and improving quality of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]