Ways to work together
Support for demand, capacity and flow decisions.
The options below describe three common starting points. Each sets out the question, typical work and expected output. The final scope, timing and fee are agreed around the service, evidence and decision involved.
Three routes Choose the closest fit
Where would it be most useful to start?
01 · Starting point
Calculator Result Review
Discuss a calculator result- When this may be useful
- You have used one of the public calculators and need to understand what the result does and does not tell you before using it in a local decision.
- Typical scope
- One calculator scenario and the service, pathway or proposal it is intended to inform.
- Work involved
- Review the inputs, scope and result brought to the discussion.
- Identify assumptions to which the result may be particularly sensitive.
- Examine where a broad result could provide false reassurance or imply more certainty than the evidence supports.
- Identify the local evidence needed before reaching a stronger conclusion.
- Output
- A concise written review note recording the principal sensitivities, limitations and questions to examine next.
- Information needed
- The calculator inputs and result
- The service or pathway being considered
- The decision the result is intended to inform
- Any directly relevant local evidence already available
- Where a wider scope may be needed
- A Calculator Result Review does not normally include a complete local demand-and-capacity model, independent validation of the underlying datasets, business-case production or implementation planning. These can be scoped separately where needed.
02 · Starting point
Local Demand and Capacity Review
Discuss a local review- When this may be useful
- A service or pathway needs to test whether planned capacity is consistent with demand, activity, case mix and operational flow.
- Typical scope
- One clearly agreed service or pathway boundary and the decision leaders need the analysis to support.
- Work involved
- Reconcile the relevant demand, activity and capacity assumptions.
- Examine variation, case mix and operational factors hidden by averages.
- Test competing explanations for the pressure.
- Assess whether the available evidence points towards a capacity shortfall, productivity constraint, pathway issue or operating-model problem.
- Make limitations and unresolved evidence explicit.
- Output
- A written account of the findings, supporting evidence, material limitations and practical next questions or actions. The format of the output is agreed during scoping and may range from a focused findings note to a fuller report or presentation.
- Information needed
- An agreed service or pathway boundary
- Available demand, activity, capacity and flow evidence
- Relevant planning or business-case assumptions
- Access to the people needed to test how the pathway operates in practice
- Where a wider scope may be needed
- Unless separately agreed, the review does not include a whole-system model, primary data collection, substantial data preparation, detailed service redesign, business-case production or implementation leadership.
03 · Starting point
Demand, Capacity and Flow Training
Discuss training for your team- When this may be useful
- Commissioners, providers or operational teams need a shared and practical way to examine demand, capacity and flow.
- Typical scope
- One agreed audience and learning objective. The session may use worked examples or an organisational scenario where this has been agreed and is suitable for training.
- Work involved
- Establish the decisions participants need the learning to support.
- Explain demand, capacity and flow through practical health and care examples.
- Examine averages, variation, usable capacity and operational constraints.
- Give participants a structured way to test assumptions and competing explanations.
- Output
- The agreed learning session, supporting slides or reference material and a practical worksheet or checklist. Any additional templates are agreed separately.
- Information needed
- The intended audience
- The learning objective
- Relevant experience or decisions the session should reflect
- Any organisational scenario proposed for use
- Where a wider scope may be needed
- Training does not constitute a formal diagnostic, assurance opinion, local capacity requirement or service-redesign recommendation unless that work is separately commissioned.
Before work begins A defined starting point
How the scope is agreed
These options provide a starting point rather than a pre-set answer. Before work begins, we agree the question, service or pathway boundary, evidence, people involved, outputs, timing, fee and exclusions in writing.
Work may be delivered remotely or on site where agreed. Travel and substantial data preparation are scoped separately.
Fees are agreed after the scope is confirmed.Three steps Clear before commitment
From enquiry to agreed work
- 01
Select the closest starting point
Choose the option that most closely reflects the decision or problem.
- 02
Confirm the requirement
Discuss the service or pathway boundary, available evidence, participants, output and timing.
- 03
Receive a written proposal
The proposal confirms what is included, what is excluded, the output, timing and fee before work begins.