Southend-on-Sea, 04/14/2025 | Press Release | Medical Systems Olympus Introduces Guide to Help UK Hospitals Set Up One-Stop Clinics for Male Urinary Symptoms

The one-stop clinic model streamlines patient care by providing necessary tests, consultations and treatments efficiently and conveniently, enhancing the patient experience. It offers faster diagnoses, comprehensive treatment options and reduces the need for multiple hospital visits.²

Mr Harvey collaborated with Olympus to develop a comprehensive guide outlining steps for healthcare professionals to establish a one-stop clinic for male LUTS in outpatient settings within their healthcare organisation. The guide addresses challenges associated with introducing a one-stop clinic by providing a clear, concise approach, making it easier for healthcare professionals to implement one-stop clinics for male LUTS patients.

The launch of the “how-to” guide builds on the success of Bolton NHS Foundation Trust’s one-stop clinic for male LUTS, which has streamlined the patient pathway, reduced hospital visits, and improved outpatient appointment efficiency.

Impact of the One-Stop Clinic

The implementation of the one-stop clinic for male LUTS at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust has led to significant improvements, highlighted by an audit comparing data from January – March 2022 to January – March 2023:

• The percentage of patients treated within 18 weeks of referral increased from 28% to 66%—a 38-percentage-point increase.³
• A 50% reduction in the median number of appointments until a treatment decision was made, dropping from 2.4 to 1.2.³
• A 63% reduction in patient waiting times, with the median wait decreasing from 16 weeks (range: 2–101 weeks) to 6 weeks (range: 0–26 weeks).
• 100% of respondents provided positive feedback for the one-stop clinic, with 73% of respondents rating it as “Very Good” and 27% as “Good”.

Furthermore, Figure 1 compares the operational metrics of the new one-stop clinic model with the former Prostate Assessment Clinic. It demonstrates that the new clinic is more efficient with a higher discharge rate and reduced need for further diagnostics.

The data also shows that, under the one-stop clinic model, 45% of patients are listed for surgery after their first appointment, compared to 0% under the former pathway.

The one-stop model aims to increase the number of patients whose pathways are either stopped or listed for surgical intervention during their first appointment. The data shows that the one-stop model is working as intended.

“Now we see patients come away with a plan from the first appointment. Before, patients would wait for six months to even get a plan to treat their symptoms, and then they still have a year-long wait for surgery after that. So, we saw the alternative and implemented it, instead of patients waiting for that long and becoming frustrated," said Mr Neil Harvey, Consultant Urologist at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, who contributed to the guide and leads the clinic. "The numbers speak for themselves, as we have reduced the number of patients coming back for unnecessary follow-up appointments, and we have increased the number of patients that are being listed straight for surgery from their first attendance at the hospital.”

Lucy O’Donoghue, Market Development Manager at Olympus, said of the project: "There is a real push within urology to put in place the one-stop model. This is especially true for improving patient experience. It shortens the time from referral to treatment. It reduces the number of appointments to decide on treatment and the cost of care. We're proud to launch the 'how to' guide. We hope other urology services value the sharing of information and best practices."

Healthcare professionals keen to implement the one-stop model for male LUTS can access the “how-to” guide at the Olympus Medical Systems website.

¹ Getting It Right First Time Academy (2023) Urology: towards better care for patients with bladder outlet obstruction. Available at: https://www.gettingitrightfirsttime.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Urology_2021-12-10_Guidance_Bladder-outlet-obstruction.pdf.

² https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2749400/

³ Retrospective audit data was collected at the Royal Bolton NHS Foundation Trust from January to March 2022 and January to March 2023. The data was used to compare the impact of introducing a one-stop male LUTS clinic versus a prostate assessment clinic.

Figure 1: Comparison of Outcomes between the Trust’s New One-Stop Clinic for Male LUTS and Former Prostate Assessment Clinic.

At Olympus, we are committed to Our Purpose of making people’s lives healthier, safer and more fulfilling. As a global medical technology company, we partner with healthcare professionals to provide best-in-class solutions and services for early detection, diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment, aiming to improve patient outcomes by elevating the standard of care in targeted disease states.

For more than 100 years, Olympus has pursued a goal of contributing to society by producing products designed with the purpose of delivering optimal outcomes for its customers around the world.

For more information, please visit www.olympus.co.uk