Salford Royal is a large university teaching hospital in Northwest England operated by the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, home to one of the largest and most advanced neurosurgery departments in the UK. With 23 consultant neurosurgeons and sub-specialty expertise across vascular, spinal, skull base, pituitary, oncology and functional neurosurgery, the department serves as a key tertiary referral center for the North West and beyond.

Rather than taking a top-down approach, the partnership focused on driving day-to-day improvements that collectively shape how Salford’s neurosurgical lists run—supporting teams to build on existing structures and workflows. The high volume of surgeons performing a wide range of complex procedures creates a fast-paced environment with frequent opportunities for delay. Each case demands precise, surgeon-specific preparation. Teams must coordinate a vast array of instruments, devices, and setups—often involving intraoperative navigation and radiological support.

With varying experience levels across staff, quick access to accurate, usable information is essential for maintaining high-quality care. For new or temporary staff in particular, being able to quickly locate critical details helps them integrate into the team and adapt to surgeon-specific workflows. From a management standpoint, reducing surgical delays had long been a strategic priority. Initiatives such as the ‘golden patient’ approach and efforts to reduce cancellations and bed blocking had already laid strong foundations. Still, the ongoing challenge of balancing operational efficiency with uninterrupted, high-quality care led leadership to look more closely at daily workflows—recognizing the surgical team as a central driver of sustainable improvement.