The NHS faces ongoing challenges in managing surgical and maintenance backlogs in addition to increasing patient demand. ModuleCo Healthcare’s (MCH) innovative new finance solution, Pulse, offers a groundbreaking approach to accessing critical healthcare spaces through a flexible, pay-per-use model.
Pulse was developed in consultation with The Department of Health to ensure it was a viable, practical, and sustainable solution for NHS Trusts. Through extensive collaboration the model was refined to align with NHS procurement processes, operational requirements, and patient care standards.
Transforming NHS Access to Operating Theatres and Wards
The NHS faces unprecedented pressure, with dilapidated facilities requiring significant maintenance work to bring them up to modern standards. The recent announcement of delays to the New Hospital Programme extends the time these facilities will need to be utilised.
Facilities often operate below their full capacity due to various systemic challenges. From downtime due to ongoing maintenance issues to staffing shortages, these challenges create a knock-on effect that impacts patient care, staff morale, and the broader healthcare system.
How Pulse Works
MCH’s Usage Based Revenue Agreement (Pulse) allows for the utilisation of revenue budgets when stretched capital budgets are not available.
A Pulse agreement offers NHS Trusts the ability to achieve cost efficiencies with payments made based on actual usage by aligning them directly with surgical volume, with clear invoicing that reflects the daily usage. This transparent approach simplifies budgeting and provides additional flexibility during the term.
Ultimately if the facility is not used The Trust doesn’t pay anything. This revolutionary model provides an IFRS16-exempt solution that does not impact CDEL through utilising revenue budgets.
Key Benefits for NHS Trusts
Pulse has been specifically designed for NHS Trusts. It provides a viable alternative to traditional procurement methods, ensuring a compliant approach to expanding clinical facilities without the need for outright capital purchases.
Cost Efficiencies
At the heart of Pulse lies a flexible payment structure that fundamentally transforms how Trusts can manage their clinical spaces and financial resources. Under this agreement, Trusts only incur costs for the facility when it is in use, with no penalty for non-usage. This approach creates unprecedented flexibility in operational planning and resource allocation.
The ability to adjust capacity based on actual needs allows for more efficient resource utilisation and better response to surgical backlogs as well as seasonal variations or unexpected surges in demand. This adaptability ensures that Trusts can maintain high standards of patient care while optimising their operational efficiency.
No requirement for CDEL allocation
One of the most significant advantages of this model is the lack of CDEL (Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit) allocation requirements. This allows Trusts to avoid navigating lengthy approval processes and applying for additional funding that slows down or prevents facility expansion.
By removing the need for CDEL allocation, Trusts can move forward with clinical facility improvements and expansions by utilising their revenue budgets without impacting capital budgets which are often significantly stretched.
Reduce waiting times by expanding clinical capacity
With the capability of procuring additional state-of-the-art operating theatres, outpatient clinics, or imaging suites, hospitals can treat more patients helping to address elective surgery backlogs and reducing waiting times for procedures like orthopaedic surgeries, MRIs, or cataract operations.
The NHS has set ambitious targets for reducing waiting lists and improving healthcare access. The Pulse agreement supports these goals by providing a cost-effective, scalable solution to meet growing patient needs without financial strain.
By adopting this approach, NHS Trusts can rapidly expand their facilities, reduce waiting times, and enhance patient care—without the delays and additional expenses associated with traditional infrastructure projects.
Implementing Pulse in Your NHS Trust
Working closely with key stakeholders to assess expected usage through dedicated workshops, ensuring cost estimates are accurate and aligned with the hospital’s operational needs, and helping to build a strong business case for the revenue model.
MCH is an accredited supplier of the NHS Shared Business Framework, Crown Commercial Services Framework and NHS Commercial Solutions Framework which guarantees that all our facilities and funding options comply with the strict regulatory criteria set out by NHS clinical and procurement teams in terms of design, quality and value for money.
At ModuleCo Healthcare we’re committed to supporting NHS Trusts and healthcare providers in delivering the facilities they need, when needed in a structure they can afford. Through innovative finance solutions like Pulse, we can help ensure the continued delivery of essential healthcare services.
Our hire solutions not only offer a vital solution for short-term clinical capacity challenges but can also provide a forward-thinking approach to healthcare infrastructure. They allow Trusts to bridge the financial gap between current needs and future ambitions, whilst ensuring no compromise in the quality of care delivered.
We’d love to discuss how Pulse and our other finance solutions can provide the perfect solution for your hospital.
Get in touch with a member of our team via sales@healthcarehire.co.uk
