KEY FACTS

Population = 4.8 million

Area Covered = 16,700 km2

Calls = 2,500 per day

Vehicles = 240

ABOUT EMAS

East Midlands Ambulance Service

NHS Trust (EMAS) provides

emergency ambulance response for

six English counties. EMAS operates

from two Emergency Operations

Centres (EOCs) and over 60

ambulance stations.

THE CHALLENGE

The Ambulance Response

Programme (ARP) was in the

trial stage for three UK services,

and emerging findings outlined a

change in demand categorisation

and response time standards. EMAS

and its commissioners needed to

understand the impacts that ARP

could have, and to quantify the

resourcing profile required to meet

new standards.

Alongside this, there was a need

to identify operational efficiencies,

understand their potential resourcing

and performance benefits, and

quantify the maximum performance

achievement with current staffing.

ORH’S APPROACH

ORH analysed the current

service profile and relationship

between demand, resourcing

and performance. Benchmarking

operational parameters against other

UK services enabled evidence-based

decisions to be made on where

internal and external efficiencies

could be found.

ORH used its ambulance simulation

model, AmbSim, to:

• Replicate EMAS operations, based

on key analysis and GPS-derived

travel speeds

• Quantify the performance

and resourcing impacts of

implementing operational

efficiencies

• Investigate the impact of age/

gender-based population and

demand projections

By mapping the workload data to

the then-latest version of ARP, ORH

identified the likely outcomes.

RESULTS

ORH re-rostered resources to

optimally match demand profiles

by time and location, and to meet

the proposed ARP standards. EOC

staffing requirements were quantified,

for both call taking and the clinical

hub. EMAS took the review outputs

through a staff consultation process

to devise new rosters.

KEY BENEFITS

• Insight into the likely impacts

of ARP

• In-depth operational

benchmarking

• Resourcing requirements for

a range of potential scenarios

• Outputs to inform a roster review

with staff-side consultation

Supporting the implementation of ARP through in-depth analysis and modelling

www.orhltd.com

t.+44 (0)118 959 6623

Emergency Service Planning Case Study

Working with ORH has greatly increased our understanding of the impact of ARP on EMAS operations. The evidence provided by ORH’s analysis and modelling has been invaluable in enabling the Trust and its commissioners to identify the ambulance capacity required under ARP, and has led directly to Trust-wide roster reform.

Will Legge, Director of Strategy and Transformation

East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS TrustDemand and Capacity Review

By l.bailey_beverley [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

www.orhltd.com

t.+44 (0)118 959 6623

About ORH PLAN. PREPARE. PERFORM.

Emergency Service Planning Case Study

ORH helps emergency services around the world to optimise resource use and respond in the most effective and efficient way.

We have set the benchmark for

emergency service planning, with a

proven approach combining rigorous

scientific analysis with experienced,

insightful consultancy. Our expert

team uses sophisticated modelling

techniques to identify opportunities

for improvement and uncover hidden

capacity. Simulating future scenarios

ensures that solutions are objective,

evidence-based and quantified.

Every organisation faces a unique

set of challenges, so remaining

independent and flexible allows us

to deliver an appropriate solution

every time. The outputs of our

work enable clients to make robust,

data-driven decisions and explain

them clearly to stakeholders.

ORH’s approach is always tailored

to the needs of the client. Above

all, we are committed to getting it

right, for the good of our clients and

the people who rely on their services.

ORH WORKS WITH AMBULANCE SERVICES TO:

• Quantify the impact of changes to response standards

• Optimise response locations

• Evaluate call handling, triage and dispatch arrangements

• Improve response times

• Devise optimal deployments by staff skill and vehicle type

• Identify operational efficiencies

For control rooms, ORH provides its DCT software to support dynamic decision making and enable effective and efficient resource use.