NHS Forth Valley is working with the Boston-based Institute for Healthcare Optimization (IHO) on an exciting new three year project to help reduce delays as patients move through our hospitals.

The aim is to even out the peaks and troughs which can leave hospitals quieter at some periods and struggling to cope at others.

Similar techniques are already used by commercial organisations such as airports and supermarkets who have to manage large volumes of people on a daily basis and need to prevent bottlenecks and queues

Work carried out by IHO in the USA has resulted in surgery waiting times at a hospital in Cincinnati falling by more than 25% on weekdays and one third at weekends, despite a rise in cases. Successes have also been recorded at hospitals in Florida, Boston, South Carolina, Maryland and Ontario in Canada.