Perioperative Delivery Group: Bringing the framework to life

A day of shared learning, practical planning and national collaboration.

Leaders and teams from Health Boards across Scotland came together this month for a national face-to-face meeting of the Perioperative Delivery Group (PDG), focused on putting the Framework for Perioperative Services in Scotland into action.

Held at the Stirling Court Hotel and organised by the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) Modernising Patient Pathways Programme (MPP) team, the event offered a full day of shared learning, data-driven planning and collaborative discussion - supporting Health Boards as they begin local implementation of the national perioperative framework.

The day opened with welcome remarks from Juliette Murray, CfSD National Clinical Director, who encouraged delegates to make the most of the rare opportunity to meet face to face:

"It’s fantastic to be in the room and all together - we don’t get the chance to do this very often. Today is about making the most of that opportunity. We want to keep things interactive, keep the conversation moving, and really use this time to learn from one another.

"We’ve had brilliant feedback on the Framework for Perioperative Services in Scotland, but for me, today is about taking that next step - turning it from something we read into something we do. We can write a strong vision or a practical toolkit, but the challenge now is thinking about how we make it real in our services."

CfSD National Director, Katie Cuthbertson, then set the scene for the day by highlighting the programme’s long-term goals.

“This isn’t about short-term fixes. Our focus is on sustainable improvements that will help meet long-term demand across the system.”

Sharing learning and practical insights

The morning’s Spotlight Sessions showcased a range of improvement projects from NHS Ayrshire & Arran, NHS Borders and NHS Fife - highlighting the impact of strong clinical leadership, system-wide planning and operational collaboration.

A live panel Question and Answer session followed, giving Health Boards the opportunity to reflect on lessons learned and how national tools and frameworks are being put into practice locally.

In a session titled ‘The Good, the Gaps and the Goals’, David McDonald, Head of Programmes for the Modernising Patient Pathways Programme (MPPP), explored how data can be used to highlight variation, support decision making and identify opportunities for targeted improvement.

The afternoon featured a series of interactive workshops, where Health Board teams:

• Shared their current priorities and challenges

• Identified actions for the next 6 weeks, 6 months and 18 months

• Discussed where national support would be most helpful

These sessions encouraged reflection, collaboration, and concrete planning as Health Boards move towards full implementation of the framework.

The PDG team will now take forward feedback and actions from the day to continue supporting Boards in embedding the framework locally - helping to deliver measurable, sustainable improvement in perioperative care across NHS Scotland.

Check out the Framework for Perioperative Services in Scotland here.