Case study

Community appointment days

An idea which quickly scaled across the UK

The challenges of post COVID-19 care are clear, such as long waits and disrupted services as a result of workforce shortages.

As we worked to find solutions, it became increasingly clear that, rather than looking to recover services by doing more of the same, we needed to explore different models of care to address the immediate challenges and make care sustainable into the future.

In 2022, our MSK service directors Natalie Blunt (Managing Director, SMSKPC) and Laura Finucane (Clinical Director, SMSKPC) pulled together our vision for the future of MSK ‘The Case for Change: Creating and Sustaining Excellence in MSK Care’. Over 2023, we started mobilising one of our ideas – a programme of Community Appointment Days (CADs).

This is a great example of how NHS teams are coming up with innovative and community-based solutions to help people get the treatment they need more quickly.

Amanda Pritchard
CEO at NHS England

Impacts we’re proud of

52%

of attendees able to self manage after attending a CAD

1,465

What Matters to You conversations over 6 CADs

11.1 out of 12

CollaboRATE* score showing high levels personalisation

*Patient-Reported measure of Shared-Decision Making

What Matters to You: the heart of CADs

We designed CADs to de-medicalise care, moving it into a community setting and, crucially, having conversations instead of consultations that honoured expertise held by patients and their community.

CADs are centred around the very simple concept of understanding what matters to someone, then working alongside them to make that happen. To do this we bring people seeking care, clinical expertise, voluntary sector services and the wider community together under one roof – so people can access a full range of services in one day and one place.

The impact so far

We ran six large scale and some smaller pop ups over 2023, which received overwhelmingly positive feedback from those seeking care and those providing it. CADs also have the added benefit of significantly reducing waiting times, as people got everything they needed on the day.

52% of people got everything they needed in a single day and were able to self manage after attending a CAD.