SOCTIM 2025 Award for Transforming NHS Waiting List Management
Friday, 5 September 2025
We’re proud to announce that NHS Midlands & Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit (MLCSU), led by its Digital Innovation Unit and Digital Space have jointly won the Service Delivery Project or Initiative of the Year at the SOCTIM Awards 2025 (https://lnkd.in/erUxejE9), held at the President’s Conference in Birmingham.
This prestigious award recognises our cloud-based Waiting List Validation Solution, which is revolutionising how NHS Trusts manage elective care backlogs - delivering real-time patient insights, cost savings, and improved clinical prioritisation.
Faced with mounting waiting lists and patient safety concerns, MLCSU and Digital Space co-designed a secure, automated platform that:
✅ Uses chatbot technology and human agents to contact patients via SMS, voice calls, and secure surveys.
✅ Validates via a clinically designed script, whether patients still require treatment or can be safely discharged.
✅ Escalates complex cases to clinical teams for review.
✅ Achieves over 80% patient contact rate across five NHS Trusts
✅ Reduces waiting lists by 9–14%, depending on specialty
✅ Potential for integrating with NHS EPR systems using robotic process automation (RPA) for seamless updates.
This solution not only saves time and resources but also empowers patients with choice and transparency in managing their care.
The success of this initiative stems from a deeply collaborative partnership between MLCSU and Digital Space. Together, we combined NHS expertise with cutting-edge cloud infrastructure (powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS)) to deliver a scalable, secure, and impactful solution.
Congratulations to everyone involved in this transformative project. Your work is helping reshape the future of NHS digital first service delivery and I'm incredibly proud of our team's dedication, vision and the impact we're making in the healthcare sector
Are you an NHS leader, digital innovator, or healthcare strategist? Let's connect to explore how our award-winning solution can support your goals.
Drop a comment below or reach out to me directly!
Dr Priyantha Jayawardane, Deputy Director, Digital Innovation Unit