Helping YHEC in visualisation and analysis stage of Paediatric Intensive Care Review

York Health Economics Consortium recently used our bureau service to help with a study of paediatric intensive care (PIC) in the Trent region. The review came about following the publication of a report by the NHS Executive in 1997 which highlighted a number of national concerns about the development of intensive care for children and made recommendations about service standards and organisation. YHEC's study was commissioned by NHS Executive Trent to review local provision.

Beacon Dodsworth were brought in to map population data and identify drive times to potential PIC centres from surrounding acute hospitals. Initially the Trent area was mapped and divided into Health Authorities, and the location of acute hospitals and possible PIC centres identified. Young children are the greatest users of PIC services, so the distribution of the 0 - 4 years olds in the Region was also analysed. Normal drive times and "blue light" ambulance drive times were recorded between each acute hospital and each possible PIC centre to identify predicted patient flows under a variety of assumptions. Where there were two acute hospitals within a Health Authority, the natural catchment population of each was determined by using drive times to show which was the nearer one.

With our analysis, YHEC were able to determine which PIC centres should be maintained and advised the NHS Executive Trent on local strategies for developing services further.