Review readiness
Examine readiness checks, cancellation reasons and how released slots are managed.

Session and procedure analysis to identify where readiness, cancellations and list design warranted review.
How was a day-case cardiology procedure service using its scheduled time, and where should operational improvement begin?
An anonymised healthcare provider
Session records were linked to planned procedures to reconcile completed and cancelled activity, compare recorded operating time with available time, and examine session types, cancellation reasons and procedure mix.
Of 2,720 planned procedures, 2,017 were completed and 703 cancelled. There were 216 on-the-day cancellations: 30.7% of cancellations, rather than of all planned procedures. The largest recorded reason was unfit for procedure; that does not establish clinical avoidability.
Base: 703 cancellations. Categories are descriptive; clinical avoidability was not established.
Review readiness and released-slot management with service leads, subject to clinical appropriateness, staffing and feasibility.
Examine readiness checks, cancellation reasons and how released slots are managed.
Compare expected procedure minutes and case mix with the available session.
Validate paired timestamps and examine late starts, handovers and early finishes.
Agree KPI definitions, owners and a measured pilot with balancing measures.
Analysis and presentation completed. Operational changes are recommendations; implementation and realised benefits are not evidenced.
Read the complete case study PDFA few lines about the situation, what you’d like to achieve and when you need it are enough to start a brief.