An Evaluation of London's Intermediate Minor Oral Surgery Service

ABSTRACTBackgroundOral surgery as a speciality has traditionally experienced significant demands, representing one of the largest volume and cost of referrals from primary to secondary care. The IMOS service was created with the objective to increase the efficiency and accessibility of oral surgery services to the public, as well as reduce pressures within hospital settings.AimsTo assess: The quality of the service provided. The waiting times. If the service met needs. Patient‐reported outcome and experience measures. MethodA random sample of patients referred to London Tier 2 IMOS providers were selected, 10 from each provider, totalling 180. They were evaluated to ascertain waiting times, treatment delivered, quality of documentation and level of complexity, level 1, 2, and 3. Patient‐Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) and Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) were also carried out to assess satisfaction.Results38.3% of referrals were classed as Level 1 and the remaining Level 2 and Level 3 were 60% and 1.67%, respectively. 37.2% of patients were seen within 0–49 days, and 72.3% of patients were seen and treated within 18 weeks. 90.8% of these cases were non‐surgical, 17.9