Strategic decision-making
The right strategic decisions minimise risk and optimise value
In the rapidly changing world of network consolidation, changing funding models and continuous technology development, making the right strategic decision is a challenge for any organisation. We’ll provide you with the best possible information, insight and advice to minimise risk and capitalise on opportunities.
Partnerships & Networking
Guiding you through the complexity of forming effective networks
Pathology partnerships continue to be a key driver for change. When embarking on such a complex problem, we don’t only provide you with the skills and expertise to develop the most effective networks and quantify the value of partnerships, but our experience in delivering similar projects supports the essential change management efforts required.
Pathology Referrals
Driving value, control and compliance from Pathology tail spend
With the focus on in-house mainstream tests, referral tests often don’t get the focus they deserve. We work with our clients to manage procurement and delivery of referral tests – reducing costs and improving quality and turnaround times – with full reporting instantly available from our bespoke dashboards. We’ll also ensure the entire process is fully compliant.
Operations Design & Optimisation
We help you plan services reconfiguration for optimal performance
Organisational change, new technology and comissioning changes all have a dramatic impact on delivery of pathology services. Our team of experts work with stakeholders across your healthcare system to understand the drivers of change and build on your strengths and capabilities to design approaches to deliver high quality, patient focussed services.
Procurement & Outsourcing
Improve performance of the system with smart procurement decisions
Whether you have an in-house pathology service or outsource the service, the decisions you make during major procurements will impact the entire healthcare system for at least a decade. We will help you to clearly define your needs and ensure that you procure the best possible solution in terms of cost, quality and long-term sustainability.
Performance Improvement
Implementing performance improvement programmes
Pathology services are required to continuously deliver more with less. Budget constraints, increasing demand, changing testing methodologies and staff pressures are all challenges that laboratories face. Our bottom-up approach to performance improvement makes use of our in-depth understanding of laboratory operations to identify and deliver real change.
Contract Management
Improving supplier management to ensure performance and costs
Managing change successfully is a challenge for any organisation. However, the value promised by major laboratory changes can go to waste if contracts are not properly managed over the entire life. With 20 years’ experience in managing healthcare contracts, we’re ideally placed to support the lab in the short, medium and long term.
Integration & Demand Optimisation
Reducing unwarranted variation in pathology requesting
Trusts and CCGs are under increasing pressure to provide high-quality, effective care whilst facing increases in diagnostics activity. We can help you identify unwarranted variation in referral patterns and low utility and/or inappropriate testing. We implement changes that effectively modify clinician behaviour, reducing inappropriate testing.
“Lifecycle has played a key part in helping our three organisations complete both the OBC and FBC for Pathology consolidation in less than a year, despite the challenges posed by the COVID pandemic. Their experience and understanding of the challenges facing Pathology has meant that we able to get agreement on the best way forward fast.”
Ralph Coulbeck
Director of Strategy
Barts Health NHS Trusts
“Pathology has been an ongoing programme for NHS England with limited success being achieved in the last 10 years. In 2016, Chris and his team were instrumental in the design and initiation of launching the new 29 Pathology networks. This project has injected much needed pace in our consolidation efforts and is making great progress nationally.”
David Wells
Head of Pathology Consolidation
NHS England and NHS Improvement
