Seagry Consultancy

Using tools and solutions already licensed to the NHS

Driving Outpatient Cost Reductions

Outpatient Automation Use Cases

Through our work across the NHS, and specifically with provider Trusts, the biggest administrative costs we see within an Outpatients setting tend to come from the following activity:

  • Appointment booking and rescheduling

  • Referral processing

  • Clinic outcome documentation

  • Letters and document handling

  • Waiting list management

  • Chasing missing information

Using Microsoft Power Automate + SharePoint + Microsoft 365 documents (Word, Excel, Forms) can automate large parts of these workflows because Power Automate can trigger actions when a SharePoint list item or document changes and route approvals, notifications, or document generation automatically.

Below is a progression from very simple to more sophisticated automation, specifically tailored to outpatient administration.

Simple automations

(1–2 hours to build)

Auto-create Clinic Lists from Referrals

Auto-create Clinic Lists from Referrals

Scenario

  • A referral arrives by email or uploaded document.

  • Admin staff currently re-enter details into a spreadsheet.

Automation

  1. Referral email or form → Power Automate

  2. Extract fields

  3. Create item in SharePoint list “Clinic Referrals”

  4. Notify specialty admin team

Impact

  • Removes manual copying

  • Creates a real-time referral register

Appointment reminder emails or SMS

Appointment reminder emails or SMS

Scenario

  • Patients miss appointments (DNAs).

  • Staff manually send reminders.

Automation

  1. SharePoint list holds appointment data

  2. Scheduled flow runs daily

  3. If appointment within 72 hours

  4. Send reminder email/SMS

Impact

  • Reduced DNAs

  • No admin chasing

Automatic Document Filing

Automatic Document Filing

Scenario
Clinic letters are saved randomly in network folders.

Automation

  1. Upload document to SharePoint

  2. Flow reads metadata (clinic, consultant, patient ID)

  3. Automatically moves to correct folder

  4. Updates SharePoint list

Impact

  • No manual filing

  • Searchable records

Moderate automations

(high ROI for outpatient admin)

Automated Clinic Outcome Capture

Automated Clinic Outcome Capture

Instead of paper outcome sheets.

Workflow

  1. Clinician fills Microsoft Form after clinic

  2. Flow updates SharePoint list

  3. If outcome = discharge → trigger discharge letter

  4. If follow-up → create waiting list entry

Impact

  • Removes data entry

  • Immediate waiting list update

Auto Generate Clinic Letters

Auto Generate Clinic Letters

Huge administrative saving.

Workflow

  1. SharePoint list item updated

  2. Power Automate populates Word template

  3. Generates letter PDF

  4. Stores in SharePoint

  5. Sends to GP or patient

Impact

  • Admin no longer typing letters

  • Consistent templates

Referral Triage Automation

Referral Triage Automation

Workflow

  1. Referral uploaded to SharePoint

  2. Flow sends approval request to consultant

  3. Consultant chooses:

    • Accept

    • Advice only

    • Redirect specialty

Flow automatically:

  • Updates waiting list

  • Sends referral outcome

  • Files documentation

Impact

  • No email chains

  • Faster triage

Advanced automations

(major operational impact)

Waiting List Validation Automation

Waiting List Validation Automation

Huge issue in NHS trusts.

Workflow

  1. Monthly automated flow

  2. Send patient validation email or SMS

  3. Capture response via form

  4. Update waiting list status automatically

Impact

  • Reduces RTT breaches

  • Removes call-centre validation work

Intelligent Document Processing

Intelligent Document Processing

Use AI Builder or Power Automate AI.

Workflow

  1. Referral PDF uploaded

  2. AI extracts:

    • NHS number

    • Specialty

    • Urgency

  3. Auto-creates SharePoint referral record

  4. Routes to correct clinic

Impact

  • Eliminates referral data entry

Full Outpatient Pathway Automation

Full Outpatient Pathway Automation

The most powerful scenario.

Architecture

Referral SharePoint referral list → Consultant triage (Power Automate approval) → Waiting list creation → Clinic booking → Appointment reminder automation → Clinic outcome form → Auto letter generation → Discharge or follow-up scheduling

Impact

  • Entire outpatient admin pipeline automated

  • Only exceptions require human intervention

Expected Typical Costs Savings (realistic)

  • Clinic Letters (1-2 WTE)

  • Referral Processing (0.5-1 WTE)

  • Waiting List Validation (1 WTE)

  • Outcome Data Entry (0.5 WTE)

Total potential saving per speciality: 2-4 Admin staff equivalent