We recognise that the health and care system is under exceptional pressure.
Recovering core services and improving productivity is an immediate priority for the NHS. So, to help with this, we've pulled together our relevant guidance and recommendations supporting this work into one place.
We've matched relevant NICE guidance and recommendations to areas of improving productivity and recovering core services. And we’ve aligned these to each of the 2023/24 priorities and operational planning guidance and priority areas of the NHS Long Term Plan.
Using these recommendations means you can be sure the care you deliver is:
- efficient
- effective
- based on the best available evidence
- directly relevant to current NHS priorities.
While you may have already implemented most of these recommendations, we hope there will be new opportunities to consider. We know that implementation of our guidance varies across the health and care system. So, this resource might provide areas to focus on.
We'll continually update this resource with latest relevant guidance supporting the NHS priorities, such as the use of virtual wards.
Each piece of guidance also includes a resource impact assessment, which gives further details on its potential impact. You can find these under the 'tools and resources' tab on the respective guidance page. To help you plan, the NICE resource planner lists all guidance that is due to publish and provides estimates of resource and capacity impact.
This page was last updated on Thursday 29 February 2024.
The guidance on this page is matched specifically to areas of productivity and recovering core services. Please visit our guidance and quality standards for recommendations and advice on wider support.
NHS productivity objectives
- urgent and emergency care
- community health services
- primary care
- elective care
- cancer
- diagnostics
- maternity.
NHS Long Term Plan
NHS productivity objectives for 2023/24
Urgent and emergency care
View/hide related guidance and recommendations
NG180: Perioperative care in adults
Productivity opportunities:
Reduced length of stay, release of theatre capacity.
Specific recommendations:
NG185: Acute coronary syndromes
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in planned admissions, reduction in mortality, myocardial infarction and repeat revascularisation.
Specific recommendation:
NG147: Diverticular disease: diagnosis and management
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced length of stay, release of endoscopy capacity.
Specific recommendations:
- 1.3 (1.3.5, 1.3.12, 1.3.26)
NG118: Renal and ureteric stones: assessment and management
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in surgeries, release of theatre capacity, reduction in bed days.
Specific recommendations:
MTG37: Thopaz+ portable digital system for managing chest drains
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced length of stay.
NG94: Emergency and acute medical care in over 16s: service delivery and organisation
Specific recommendations:
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced A&E attendance, admissions and delayed discharges.
NG211: Rehabilitation after traumatic injury
Specific recommendations:
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in length of rehabilitation.
CG103: Delirium: prevention, diagnosis and management in hospital and long-term care
Specific recommendations:
Productivity opportunity:
Releasing specialist capacity and reduced length of stay.
HTE13: Virtual ward platform technologies for acute respiratory infections
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced length of stay, reduced admissions and A&E presentations (further evidence required to confirm).
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced hospitalisations, reduced length of stay.
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced A&E attendances and admissions.
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced A&E attendances and admissions.
Community health services
View/hide related guidance and recommendations
CG139: Healthcare-associated infections: prevention and control in primary and community care
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in admissions.
NG74: Intermediate care including reablement
Specific recommendations:
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in admissions, reduced length of stay.
NG211: Rehabilitation after traumatic injury
Specific recommendations:
Productivity opportunity:
Length of rehabilitation.
Primary care
View/hide related guidance and recommendations
CG139: Healthcare-associated infections: prevention and control in primary and community care
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in admissions.
Elective care
View/hide related guidance and recommendations
NG118: Renal and ureteric stones: assessment and management
Specific recommendations:
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in surgeries, release of theatre capacity, reduction in bed days.
MTG76: AposHealth for knee osteoarthritis
Productivity opportunity:
Delay/reduce need for knee surgery.
MTG37: Thopaz+ portable digital system for managing chest drains
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced length of stay.
MTG32: Estimating fractional flow reserve from coronary CT angiography
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in number of scans/tests.
NG45: Routine preoperative tests for elective surgery
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in number of scans/tests.
MTG73: Optilume for recurrent bulbar urethral strictures
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in repeat interventions.
MTG49: Rezum for treating lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced length of stay, increased theatre utilisation.
MTG53: The PLASMA system for transurethral resection and haemostasis of the prostate
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced length of stay, increased theatre utilisation.
MTG58: UroLift for treating lower urinary tract symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced length of stay, increased theatre utilisation.
MTG29: GreenLight XPS for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced length of stay, increased theatre utilisation.
TA906: Rimegepant for preventing migraine
Productivity opportunities:
IV/SC to oral administration, change in setting and person delivering care.
TA905: Upadacitinib for previously treated moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease
Productivity opportunities:
IV to oral administration, change in setting and person delivering care.
Productivity opportunities:
IV to oral administration, change in setting and person delivering care.
TA888: Risankizumab for previously treated moderately to severely active Crohn's disease
Productivity opportunities:
IV to subcutaneous administration, change in setting and person delivering care.
TA882: Voclosporin with mycophenolate mofetil for treating lupus nephritis
Productivity opportunities:
IV to oral administration, change in setting.
Productivity opportunities:
Reduction in planned attendances/appointments, change in person delivering care.
TA824: Dexamethasone intravitreal implant for treating diabetic macular oedema
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in clinical appointments.
TA799: Faricimab for treating diabetic macular oedema
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in clinical appointments.
TA800: Faricimab for treating wet age-related macular degeneration
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in outpatient injections.
TA672: Brolucizumab for treating wet age-related macular degeneration
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in outpatient injections.
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in length of stay.
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in length of stay.
TA868: Vutrisiran for treating hereditary transthyretin-related amyloidosis
Productivity opportunity:
IV to subcutaneous administration, change in setting and person delivering care.
NG94: Emergency and acute medical care in over 16s: service delivery and organisation
Specific recommendations:
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced A&E attendance, admissions and delayed discharges.
NG50: Cirrhosis in over 16s: assessment and management
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced variceal ligation and endoscopic monitoring surveillance.
NG126: Ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage: diagnosis and initial management
Specific recommendation:
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced surgical procedures.
NG148: Acute kidney injury: prevention, detection and management
Specific recommendation:
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced outpatient procedures.
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced colonoscopies.
MTG64: KardiaMobile for detecting atrial fibrillation
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced repeat diagnostics and cardiologist appointments.
MTG64: KardiaMobile for detecting atrial fibrillation
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced repeat diagnostics and cardiologist appointments.
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced time to review and edit structures (further evidence required to confirm).
HTE13: Virtual ward platform technologies for acute respiratory infections
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced length of stay, reduced admissions and A&E presentations (further evidence required to confirm).
Productivity opportunity:
Improved access and reduced patient waiting (further evidence required to confirm).
TA911: Selpercatinib for untreated RET fusion-positive advanced non-small-cell lung cancer
Productivity opportunity:
IV to oral administration, change in setting, person delivering care (further evidence required to confirm).
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in planned attendances/appointments.
TA931: Zanubrutinib for treating chronic lymphocytic leukaemia
Productivity opportunity:
IV to oral administration, change in setting, person delivering care.
TA942: Empagliflozin for treating chronic kidney disease
Productivity opportunity:
Delayed disease progression and associated treatment costs.
Cancer
View/hide related guidance and recommendations
MTG37: Thopaz+ portable digital system for managing chest drains
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced length of stay.
Productivity opportunities:
IV to oral administration, change in setting and person delivering care.
Productivity opportunities:
IV to oral administration, change in setting and person delivering care.
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced need for subsequent treatment.
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced number of chemotherapy cycles.
TA712: Enzalutamide for treating hormone-sensitive metastatic prostate cancer
Productivity opportunity:
change in setting and person delivering care, IV chemotherapy to oral.
TA689: Acalabrutinib for treating chronic lymphocytic leukaemia
Productivity opportunity:
change in setting and person delivering care, IV chemotherapy to oral.
NG230: Thyroid cancer: assessment and management
Specific recommendations:
Productivity opportunity:
reduction in surgeries.
NG231: Barrett's oesophagus and stage 1 oesophageal adenocarcinoma: monitoring and management
Specific recommendations:
Productivity opportunity:
reduction in imaging, reduction in surgery.
Diagnostics
View/hide related guidance and recommendations
DG49: PLGF-based testing to help diagnose suspected preterm pre-eclampsia
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in bed days, reduction in unnecessary admissions.
NG155: Tinnitus: assessment and management
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in scans/tests.
Specific recommendation:
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in cancelled and rebooked CT scans, increased utilisation of CT scans.
NG45: Routine preoperative tests for elective surgery
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in scans/tests.
Productivity opportunities:
Reduced cochlear implants, reduced surgery (further evidence required to confirm).
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced colonoscopies.
MTG64: KardiaMobile for detecting atrial fibrillation
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced repeat diagnostics and cardiologist appointments.
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced time to review and edit structures (further evidence required to confirm).
Maternity
View/hide related guidance and recommendations
DG49: PLGF-based testing to help diagnose suspected preterm pre-eclampsia
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in bed days, reduction in unnecessary admissions.
CG190: Intrapartum care for healthy women and babies
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced variation in care.
NG194: Postnatal care
Productivity opportunity: reduced variation in care.
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced variation in care.
NG121: Intrapartum care for women with existing medical conditions or complications
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced variation in care.
NG126: Ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage: diagnosis and initial management
Specific recommendation:
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced surgical procedures.
NHS Long Term Plan
Workforce
Digital
View/hide related guidance and recommendations
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced waiting lists/quicker access to support, reduced admissions (further evidence required to confirm).
HTE8: Digitally enabled therapies for adults with depression: early value assessment
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced practitioner time per patient, improved access and reduced patient waiting (further evidence required to confirm).
HTE9: Digitally enabled therapies for adults with anxiety disorders: early value assessment
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced practitioner time per patient, improved access and reduced patient waiting (further evidence required to confirm).
Mental health
View/hide related guidance and recommendations
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced waiting lists/quicker access to support, reduced admissions (further evidence required to confirm).
HTE8: Digitally enabled therapies for adults with depression: early value assessment
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced practitioner time per patient, improved access and reduced patient waiting (further evidence required to confirm).
HTE9: Digitally enabled therapies for adults with anxiety disorders: early value assessment
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced practitioner time per patient, improved access and reduced patient waiting (further evidence required to confirm).
People with a learning disability and autistic people
View related guidance and recommendations
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced variation in care.
Prevention and health inequalities
View/hide related guidance and recommendations
DG49: PLGF-based testing to help diagnose suspected preterm pre-eclampsia
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in bed days, reduction in unnecessary admissions.
CG190: Intrapartum care for healthy women and babies
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced variation in care.
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced variation in care.
Productivity opportunity:
Reduction in health inequalities.
NG121: Intrapartum care for women with existing medical conditions or complications
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced variation in care.
Productivity opportunity:
Reduced variation in care.
Visit our NICE and health inequalities page for our guidance and advice on ways of minimising health inequalities.
Contact us
Please get in touch with us with any questions you might have. Have you found this resource useful? We'd like to hear from you.