Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s (WWL) innovative approach to data has been recognised as the best in Europe by International Data Corporation (IDC).
Taking the top prize in the ‘Data-Powered Business’ category at IDC's 2021 European Data Strategy and Innovation Awards, WWL has been praised for its excellence in the management and use of data and analytics, with particular focus on the Trust’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The IDC judges were impressed with the project team's vision and ability to very rapidly pivot its existing BI system into an interactive, cloud-based forecasting system," said Philip Carnelley, AVP for Software and Analytics at IDC Europe.
"The WWL team addressed an urgent need for real-time and predictive information to manage the pandemic-driven demand for hospital resources. A relatively small group successfully navigated the complexity of bringing disparate datasets together across the hospital to inform the newly developed predictive models, creating an interactive system enabling truly data-driven decision-making by frontline care staff."
Speaking about the award, which is the Trust’s first European award for its use of data, Mark Singleton, Associate Director of Data & Analytics for WWL said:
“Our innovative way of capturing and analysing data has allowed us to support frontline staff to care for patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Using data effectively continued in our COVID-19 vaccination programme, and it forms a key part in our recovery plans, as our services gradually re-introduce planned care.
“The award is a fantastic achievement for WWL and symbolises the hard work across the organisation in recording and using data to make the right clinical, operational and strategic decisions for the Trust, but most importantly for our patients.
“I’m incredibly proud of everyone involved from ward to board.”
WWL’s Directorate Manager for Unscheduled Care, Louise Clarkson added:
“It’s an honour to see the work within our WWL family recognised with this award.
“Working with our partners, Qlik, we were able to use the data across the Trust in real-time, helping teams to have a better understanding and insight into infection levels, inform capacity planning decisions and allow for patients to be transferred safely to help prevent cross-infection.”