Creating a Single Version of the Truth at South Thames Paediatric Network

Creating a single, accurate and accessible source of regularly collected data.

The South Thames Paediatric Network (STPN) covers a wide region across South London and the South-East and we did not have information on bed status across the network.

The Challenge

The network did not have information on bed status across the network. With 18 trusts including 3 Intensive Care Units across 5 Integrated Care Systems, accurate data was crucial.

Without it, it was impossible to make informed strategic decisions around service pressures and plan how to allocate available funding most effectively.

Before Beautiful Information was engaged, the network could not answer critical questions around acuity and potential for mutual aid across services during busy periods and the only way to get the information was through phone calls or emailing spreadsheets.

Some providers were gathering their own data internally. The network did attempt to deploy an email-based spreadsheet developed by one unit, which wasn’t always successful because it was time-consuming for clinicians who are under pressure and not desk based.

The Solution

The Beautiful Information dashboard is web-based and involves a quick and easy data form for clinicians to complete through their
mobile, tablet or any computer. Once deployed and rolled-out, daily updates were established across the network.

This allowed the network, for the first time, to gather and display all the network data in one place. It provided a single source of accurate, regularly collected data presented in the most useful way for managers and service providers. The graph view quickly allows the viewing of trends in the most recent week of data.

It provides a real sense of how the network operates and helps explain common issues, pressure points, acuity challenges and where to focus our attention.

The dashboard also provides the data to send out regular reports to providers and commissioners, and this transparency can only help strengthen the network as a whole…