One Perspective with Adam Binns

One Perspective with Adam Binns

One Perspective is our new Q&A series where the people shaping One Health’s future discuss the issues that directly affect the health and surgical care sector. In this first instalment, we sit down with Adam Binns, CEO, who discusses elective care and NHS sustainability.

Adam, there’s a lot of discussion around NHS sustainability at the moment. Where do you think the conversation should be focused?

Much of the debate understandably centres on current emergency care pressures, workforce shortages, and funding challenges. But one of the most important opportunities for long-term NHS sustainability actually sits much earlier in the patient journey: timely access to routine, low-risk elective surgery.

For patients living with degenerative conditions such as hip or knee osteoarthritis, early intervention is about far more than symptom relief. Timely elective care can prevent deterioration, preserve independence, and reduce future demand across the wider healthcare system, in particular primary care. In many ways, it should be viewed as preventative healthcare.

Why is timely intervention so important for patients with degenerative joint conditions?

Conditions like osteoarthritis are progressive by nature. Without timely treatment, pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility often worsen steadily over time. Patients waiting months routine procedures such as hip or knee replacements can find it increasingly difficult to stay active, work, or even manage everyday tasks independently. The impact on quality of life can be profound.

Importantly, delays don’t just affect patients physically. Prolonged waiting times can also contribute to anxiety, social isolation, and loss of confidence, particularly when people are unable to maintain their normal routines or independence.

What are the wider economic implications of delayed elective surgery?

The economic impact is significant and often overlooked. When patients are unable to work because of deteriorating mobility or chronic pain, many reduce their working hours, take extended sick leave, or leave employment entirely. That creates a dual financial pressure with individuals becoming more reliant on state support while no longer contributing through income tax and national insurance. The longer treatment is delayed, the greater those cumulative costs become for individuals, families, employers, and the public purse.

How does delayed elective care affect the wider NHS?

Delays can create avoidable pressure throughout the healthcare system. Patients managing long-term pain often require repeated GP appointments, additional referrals, diagnostic tests, and ongoing prescriptions for pain relief. In some cases, that can include prolonged use of opioids or anti-inflammatory medication, which carries both financial costs and potential health risks. What begins as a relatively straightforward surgical need can gradually evolve into a much more complex and resource-intensive care requirement. Earlier intervention helps prevent that escalation.

Is there evidence that earlier surgical intervention improves outcomes?

Yes, consistently so. Earlier joint replacement surgery is associated with improved mobility, reduced pain, and better overall quality of life. Patients are often able to return to work sooner, remain independent for longer, and participate more fully in their communities.

Importantly, patients who receive treatment before severe deterioration tend to experience quicker recoveries, shorter hospital stays, and better long-term outcomes overall. That’s why I believe routine elective surgery should increasingly be recognised as a form of prevention.

What impact can timely elective care have on primary care services?

It can make a meaningful difference. When patients receive definitive treatment, their reliance on repeat GP consultations and ongoing medication management often reduces significantly. That helps free up valuable capacity within the primary care system, allowing GPs to focus on patients with more urgent or complex needs. At a broader system level, reducing avoidable demand across interconnected services, including community and social care, is essential if we want a more sustainable NHS.

What role do partnerships with independent providers play in addressing elective care pressures?

Partnership working is absolutely critical. Collaborative delivery models with experienced providers like One Health Group allow the NHS to expand elective capacity rapidly, safely and efficiently while remaining aligned with national priorities.

These partnerships help reduce waiting lists by delivering routine procedures in appropriate settings, while enabling NHS trusts and integrated care systems to focus acute hospital resources on more complex cases. Ultimately, that improves resilience and patient flow across the system.

Looking ahead, what mindset shift is needed around elective care?

We need to stop viewing elective surgery as a discretionary extra spend and start recognising it as a strategic investment in prevention. Keeping people mobile, independent, and economically active benefits not just individuals, but communities, employers, and the wider economy. It also helps reduce long-term reliance on healthcare and social care services at a time when demographic pressures continue to grow.

As the NHS looks toward recovery and reform, prevention before crisis must become a guiding principle. Improving access to timely elective care today will help safeguard the sustainability of the NHS tomorrow.

You can connect with Adam on LinkedIn here.