Beyond the waiting list

The NHS is the beating heart of our nation, but it faces persistent challenges. We see the impact daily, with over 7.5 million patients waiting for treatment, and 5 million missed appointments (DNAs) annually, which could free up 2.5 million+ slots if just halved. Administrative overload creates inconsistency, duplication and wasted time, contributing to 2 in 5 NHS staff feeling “always” or “often” worn out. To meet the NHS 18-week treatment goal (which has been missed every year since 2015) and to relieve the immense pressure on dedicated staff, transformative solutions are no longer an option; they are a necessity.

A proven path forward

The good news is that a proven path forward exists. Digital referral platforms demonstrate what’s possible when technology is thoughtfully applied to NHS workflows. Instead of attempting to rip out and replace existing systems, these platforms integrate with NHS e-RS and electronic patient records, creating unified workflows that eliminate duplication and drastically reduce manual intervention.

This is precisely where E-Triage by Toca.health steps in. Co-designed with the NHS, it’s a complete digital referral solution built to tackle these systemic issues directly. By digitising the entire GP referral pathway, E-Triage cuts through the layers of complexity and manual intervention that have long hindered efficient, safer patient care.

The impact on efficiency is profound. Our platform cuts administrative workload by up to 51%, allowing frontline staff to dedicate their energy to patients. Automation prevents errors, ensures consistency, and makes every step of the referral process auditable and safe. For an average trust handling 120,000 referrals a year, our systems lead to £1.5 million in savings over five years, a 4.2x return on investment. Trusts using E-Triage also see up to 49% of Advice and Guidance (A&G) requests managed directly in primary care, significantly cutting administrative time.

As Dr Jon Swinburn, Consultant Cardiologist at Royal Berkshire Hospital, attests, E-Triage “removes a lot of the manual intervention, automates the process, prevents errors, and ensures everybody’s working the same way.”

Beyond A&G, E-Triage transforms elective referral management. It enables precise digital management, allowing specialists to accept, prioritise, request information about or assign referrals with ease. Straight to Test (STT) routes suitable referrals directly to diagnostics, cutting delays and freeing up clinic slots. Consultant to Consultant (C2C) provides a secure portal for fast, consistent and auditable internal referrals, improving communication across specialties and dismantling data silos. These efficiencies free up vital resources that can be reinvested directly in frontline patient care, strengthening the NHS where it’s needed most.

E-Triage is built for ease of implementation and adoption, integrating with NHS e-RS and your trust’s EPR. Co-designed with the NHS and compliant with DCB0129 and DSPT, it supports crucial initiatives like the NHS Long Term Plan. Our simple deployment process means typical rollouts are completed in just four weeks.

At Toca.health, we believe smarter referrals lead to better outcomes. E-Triage is more than a tool; it’s a commitment to empowering clinicians, enhancing patient care, and helping the NHS overcome its most pressing challenges. It’s about delivering consistent, safe and efficient referrals, so that every patient receives the right care faster. Let’s work together to transform NHS referrals and build a healthier future.

Addressing the sceptics

Critics might argue that the NHS has been plagued by too many failed IT projects to trust digital solutions. They are not wrong about past failures, but they’re missing a crucial difference: today’s successful platforms work with existing systems rather than attempting to replace them wholesale. They integrate gradually, specialty by specialty, with deployment timelines measured in weeks, not years.

Others worry about the cost of implementation during tight budgets. But the alternative, continuing with inefficient, manual processes, is far more expensive in the long run. Every day we delay digital transformation, we are essentially choosing to pay for the same work several times over, while patients wait longer for the care they desperately need.

The time for transformative digital solutions is now.

About Toca.health

Toca.health builds complete business solutions for healthcare using our advanced low-code platform. We empower organisations to turn ideas into action, delivering solutions that are easy to use, flexible and extensible. Our mission is to transform interoperability, reduce costs and improve patient outcomes across the NHS with platforms like E-Triage.

To find out more, email sales@toca.io, visit toca.health, or follow Toca on LinkedIn.