Work scheduled to be done later, infrequent decision making, or batching work all represent a wait in a patient journey or diagnostic pathway. These tend to occur when a particular type of work is done at one time. Reducing these unnecessary waits will shorten referral to treatment times and reduce variations in demand.
See the NHS Institute’s Reduce Unnecessary Waits tool. See also NHS Scotland’s Quality Improvement Hub and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s section in improving patient flow.