The COVID-19 impact assessment tool launched just 2 weeks ago has been utilised by trusts across the country to support live hospital planning and demand assessment.
The company behind the tool, Draper & Dash, developed the system to allow trusts to view and analyse national Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data, alongside different live data sources on COVID-19 cases by the minute, as they emerge.
It models the impact of increased volume and complexity at a local and system level, providing visibility of ICU, theatres, and overall bed impact, and connects this live information to each trust’s clinical workforce. The tool also shows the immediate impacts on beds and staff under a range of selected scenarios. The company has also created a feature within the tool which works in the trust-level situation on a running basis, bringing in factors such as pathology and radiology data to run live against ED activity. From this, providers will be able to assess the impact of COVID-19 upon their organisation on a daily basis, to monitor, plan and predict the needs of health systems during the crisis.
The company has now launched a version of the tool to support mental health organisations plan, predict demand and manage resource through live data modelling and insights.
Orlando Agrippa, CEO, Draper & Dash said to HTN “Following discussions with our partner mental health trusts, alongside experts within our own team, we have highlighted a number of issues to both the immediate and longer term challenges the sector will face as a result of COVID-19.”
“Already pressures are evolving around bed capacity as a direct effect of COVID-19 by our mental health clients, with concerns over sufficient bed availability on mental health wards following discharge from acute care.”
Orlando explained “without a place to go to, there is a growing need to ensure patients are not left waiting within the acute sector or in A&E, and that they are not being immediately discharged to unsuitable environments once medically optimised.”
Orlando is certain that we will begin to see similar issues arise within mental health sector organisations and believe it will be vital to deploy these means here too, in order to help monitor and manage any available resources to support changing and growing demands.
The Draper & Dash data science, advance modelling, and insights team are keen to help explore ways in which to strengthen planning processes, and encourage any who wish to learn more about the IAT or contribute to the further development of the module within a mental health context to reach out to them at covid19@draperanddash.com
