Unlocking Productive Potential

The NHS stands at a pivotal moment

With more consultants than ever, significant investment in capacity & declining NHS productivity, we have a unique opportunity to deliver better care, improve patient outcomes, and support our clinical workforce. Yet, as we look to the future, it’s clear that the way we plan, support, and measure consultant work must evolve to match the complexity and ambition of modern healthcare.

This draws on a deep-dive, large-scale analysis of consultant job plans, conducted in close collaboration with NHS England senior managers and RLDatix. This joint work, examining thousands of consultant job plans from over the past five years across England, was undertaken with the intention to explore and learn about job planning and rostering as potential drivers of productivity improvement. The findings provide a robust evidence base for NHS leaders, medical directors, and policymakers to shape the future of consultant job planning.