Design a block schedule that allocates theatre sessions across specialties by demand and case mix.
Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Management
Perioperative Suite Scheduling and Operating Theatre Utilisation
Develops the scheduling and operational skills to build theatre lists, cut turnover time and raise operating theatre utilisation while protecting surgical safety standards.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
An operating theatre that sits unused for even an hour a day represents lost surgical capacity that a waiting list cannot afford, yet pushing utilisation up carelessly increases the risk of late finishes, cancelled cases and exhausted staff. This course works through the scheduling disciplines that resolve that tension. Participants learn block scheduling methods for allocating theatre time across specialties, case sequencing techniques that group similar procedures to reduce turnover, and the data needed to hold an honest conversation about which sessions are underused and why. A dedicated module addresses the operational causes of late starts and slow turnover, from equipment availability to anaesthetic team readiness, and builds a turnover time reduction plan grounded in direct observation rather than assumption. The course also covers same-day cancellation prevention through pre-assessment pathways and case-readiness checklists, and closes with a utilisation reporting module that gives theatre managers and clinical leads a shared, credible basis for planning conversations.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Sequence a theatre list to group similar procedures and reduce turnover time between cases.
Diagnose the causes of late first-case starts using direct observation of the morning workflow.
Build a turnover time reduction plan addressing equipment, cleaning and team readiness.
Design a pre-assessment pathway that prevents avoidable same-day surgical cancellations.
Calculate theatre utilisation and productive time metrics from raw scheduling and case data.
Present utilisation findings to surgical and anaesthetic leads in a way that supports session reallocation.
Who Should Attend
Theatre managers responsible for operating list scheduling and utilisation.
Surgical service line leads negotiating theatre session allocation across specialties.
Anaesthetic department leads coordinating team readiness for first-case starts.
Perioperative pathway coordinators managing pre-assessment and case readiness.
Hospital operations directors overseeing theatre productivity and capacity planning.
Quality improvement leads running turnover time and cancellation reduction projects.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Block Scheduling and Session Allocation
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Allocating Theatre Sessions Across Specialties
- Analyse historical case volume and duration by specialty to inform block session allocation.
- Negotiate block schedule changes with surgical leads using utilisation data rather than precedent alone.
- Set a release policy that returns unused block time to a pooled list within a defined window.
- Model the effect of a proposed block reallocation on waiting lists across affected specialties.
Session 2Sequencing Cases Within a Theatre List
- Sequence a theatre list to group procedures by equipment and setup similarity, reducing turnover.
- Balance case sequencing against surgeon preference and patient fasting or admission requirements.
- Place higher-risk or longer cases where list overruns cause least disruption to the day.
- Build contingency slots into a list for likely additions without destabilising the full schedule.
02Reducing Late Starts and Turnover Time
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Diagnosing the Causes of Late First-Case Starts
- Observe and time-stamp the morning workflow from patient arrival to first incision across a sample of lists.
- Identify which delay causes recur most often, such as equipment location or team assembly time.
- Distinguish delays within theatre control from delays caused by upstream ward or admission processes.
- Set a first-case on-time start target and the accountable roles for each contributing step.
Session 2Building a Turnover Time Reduction Plan
- Map the turnover sequence from case closure to next patient in room, timing each sub-step.
- Redesign cleaning, equipment and instrument turnaround to run in parallel rather than in sequence.
- Pilot a turnover time change on a limited set of lists before wider rollout.
- Track turnover time weekly and feed results back to the theatre teams involved.
03Preventing Cancellations and Protecting Case Readiness
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Designing a Pre-Assessment Pathway
- Design a pre-assessment pathway that confirms fitness for surgery well ahead of the scheduled date.
- Set criteria that trigger anaesthetic review, additional investigation or optimisation before listing.
- Coordinate pre-assessment timing with the theatre schedule to avoid late-notice case removal.
- Track pre-assessment completion rate as a leading indicator of same-day cancellation risk.
Session 2Case Readiness Checklists and Same-Day Cancellation Review
- Build a case readiness checklist covering consent, imaging, blood products and equipment availability.
- Review same-day cancellations in a structured forum to identify recurring, fixable causes.
- Assign an accountable role for confirming case readiness the working day before surgery.
- Set a same-day cancellation rate target and track it alongside utilisation metrics.
04Utilisation Measurement and Reporting
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Calculating Theatre Utilisation and Productive Time
- Calculate raw and adjusted utilisation rates that separate scheduled time from productive operating time.
- Distinguish underutilisation caused by short lists from underutilisation caused by late starts and turnover.
- Benchmark utilisation across theatres and sites using a consistent, agreed calculation method.
- Identify sessions that are chronically underused and the specific cause behind each one.
Session 2Reporting Utilisation to Drive Decisions
- Build a utilisation report that surgical and anaesthetic leads can review without extra interpretation.
- Present utilisation trends alongside waiting list and cancellation data to support session reallocation.
- Agree an escalation process for sessions that remain underused after two reporting cycles.
- Review the block schedule against updated utilisation data on a fixed, recurring cycle.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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