Care coordination centre goes live in Lincolnshire as part of NHS winter plan​​​​​​​

A state of the art NHS control centre has today (December 1) gone live in Lincolnshire to better tackle winter pressures on the NHS.
Lincoln County Hospital.Lincoln County Hospital.
Lincoln County Hospital.

It is one of five launched across the East Midlands, less than six weeks after initial guidance was issued by NHS chiefs, designed to better coordinate stretch resources around the county.

The around the clock care coordination centre is just one of the measures announced as part of NHS winter planning in October alongside falls response teams, new hubs dedicated to serious respiratory infections and additional bed capacity.

The Lincolnshire integrated care system now has a dedicated team, including senior clinicians, which can track data in real time to help them make quick decisions in the face of emerging winter challenges.

Coordination centre staff will monitor live data including A&E performance and waiting times, staff sickness rates, ambulance response times, bed occupancy and OPEL status.

For example, data will be used to see where hospitals can help each other out, or if ambulances can be diverted to another nearby hospital with more beds.

Teams will also be able to monitor bed tracking dashboards and forecasting models and stay across capacity in social care and primary care demand.

Sites will be able to plan for particular pressures over weekends, bank holidays and other events that can affect services, such as large public gatherings and events.

Jess Sokolov, Regional Medical Director for NHS England in the Midlands, said: “These care coordination centres are just one part of our wide-ranging preparations for winter, but will play a vital role in the sharing and use

of live information to drive smarter and faster decision-making by NHS teams in the East Midlands

“We have clinicians across the region working around the clock monitoring data from frontline services to help spread resources and make the best possible decisions for both staff and patients.”

Many regions and local teams set up operational control centres during the pandemic and last winter creating a proven track record for a national rollout, enabling teams to maximise capacity for patients and rapidly escalate emerging risks.

Centres will be open seven days a week and are fully staffed between 8am and 8pm, with on call arrangements overnight.