To meet rising demand, the NHS must embrace public–private collaboration that delivers proven tech solutions and enables faster, more efficient patient care, writes TeleTracking’s Chris Johnson
The role of public-private partnerships in the NHS
“Public-private partnerships have a vital role to play in the future of the NHS. By combining the agility and innovation of the private sector with the scale and mission of public healthcare, we can unlock smarter, faster pathways to digital adoption. These collaborations are not just about technology – they’re about enabling the NHS to deliver more efficient, patient-centred care by collaborating with organisations that have a proven return on investment.” - Chris Johnson
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Running a modern national health service is an intricate balancing act – one that demands synchronising clinical judgement with logistical precision, all under the pressure of finite resources. Every day, leaders across the NHS are asked to make complex decisions that affect lives, with the most basic of challenges at the core: ensuring patients have a bed in the right place, at the right time.
This challenge has never been more pressing. Less than a year ago, the NHS was described as “broken”. Lord Darzi’s independent review last September delivered a sobering verdict: the service is in “critical condition,” the result of sustained underfunding and growing demand.
While the government pledged a cash injection for the service in the last budget, there’s widespread recognition that money alone will not solve the NHS’s long-standing problems.
Innovation – in multiple guises – is required. And a good example of this is the approach to managing patient flow in hospitals.
The imperative for patient flow and capacity management solutions
The adoption of technology to help improve use of capacity has been extraordinarily slow despite some efforts from NHS England in early 2024. However, the case for adopting patient flow and capacity management solutions is now essential.
These systems provide a pragmatic, high-impact solution to persistent inefficiencies in patient flow and operational coordination. Rather than requiring wholesale structural change, such solutions digitise manual, fragmented workflows that currently obstruct real-time decision-making and constrain capacity.
By offering real-time visibility into bed availability and patient movement, patient flow and capacity management empowers clinical and operational teams to sychronise care: unlocking hidden capacity, accelerating discharges, reducing bottlenecks – and transforming system pressure into actionable insight.
Evidence from NHS trusts already using this technology shows measurable gains: shorter accident and emergency wait times, faster elective throughput, improved discharge planning, and reduced length of stay. The benefits are twofold – clinicians reclaim valuable time for direct patient care, while leadership gains the data needed to manage performance and pressure points with greater precision.
Patient flow and capacity management software is not just a digital tool – it’s a strategic enabler of better care, operational resilience, and long-term sustainability.
Rethinking commercial models with the private sector to drive change
Real transformation in patient care and capacity management requires more than technology – and more than just the right technology – it demands a bold and collaborative approach to change.
NHS trusts, and their providers, can no longer afford to wait for ideal funding conditions or central mandates. The time has come to take ownership of change – by challenging legacy operating and financial models.
Overcoming institutional inertia and risk aversion requires a mindset shift: from isolated efforts to system-wide collaboration, and from siloed thinking to a shared responsibility for outcomes.
Forward-thinking trusts are already showing what’s possible. With co-invested patient flow and capacity management solutions, they are enabling milestone-based patient transfers, sharing capacity across sites, and reducing unnecessary delays – all by embedding interoperability into the heart of care coordination.
To scale this success, collaboration is key. Not only must systems be interoperable by design, but public–private partnerships must be seen as essential. Private sector partners must be willing, and able, to bring technical depth, implementation agility, and shared risk and commitment – all vital to accelerating transformation at pace and scale.
These partnerships offer more than just software, they provide long-term value, co-investment, and a shared goal of delivering better outcomes. Public and private actors must be aligned around a common vision to drive meaningful, sustainable change across the NHS.
Smart systems, stronger NHS: Now is the time to invest in operational visibility
As the NHS faces persistent pressure amid evolving political and economic priorities, the ability to manage flow, optimise capacity, and gain real-time operational visibility has never been more important.
Operational solutions like patient flow and capacity management technology, delivered through strategic private sector collaboration, offer a powerful lever for change – low-risk, high-reward, and ready to scale. It is a foundation upon which the NHS can build more integrated, efficient, and patient-centred systems.
The opportunity is here. The need is clear. Now is the time to be bold.
