We helped an integrated care system to evaluate demand and capacity for COVID-19 LAMP testing to ensure labs could meet the need for routine staff testing.

Background

The COVID-19 LAMP testing programme allowed staff across the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System (ICS) to be tested routinely. As demand increased from 1,500 to 7,000 tests per week, NHS Midlands and Lancashire (NHS ML) stepped forward to discuss potential support with analysing data on testing needs.

Predicting future demand for tests could help the national supplier forecast the number of vials required. Lab capacity could also be influenced by a variety of factors and the ICS needed to understand how it could be expanded as demand dictated.

In addition, the ICS needed to identify individual organisations where take-up was higher to highlight which efforts to engage staff with testing were more successful. These approaches could then be transferred to other organisations where uptake was lower to try and replicate their successes.

Action

We worked together with the LAMP programme team to implement the following solutions:

Demand and capacity modelling:

• Gathered data on cohort sizes offered testing and estimates on previous testing trends
• Assessed machinery factors influencing lab capacity, liaising with lab manager
• Created a dynamic model of demand and capacity as factors changed over time.

Measuring staff engagement:

• Measured unique numbers of staff testing within given time periods, and how many were repeat testing (compliance rates)
• Demonstrated how staff engagement was increasing over time and against testing targets.

Impact

The demand and capacity modelling helped the ICS to:

• Have assurance that their lab could cope with demand even if it exceeded projections
• Quickly respond to requests for reporting from the regional team
• Visualise possible demand profiles and understand how actual demand compared to forecasts
• Demonstrate which locations had exceeded minimum regional estimates for testing
• Understand when there was likely to be excess lab capacity that the project could use to respond to emerging new demands for testing.

Reports on staff engagement enabled the project team to:

• Respond to demand from partner organisations for more detailed information on staff testing levels
• Provide information to Covid teams in partner organisations so they could report internally the success of the project and demonstrate where additional resources were needed
• Assess performance of initiatives to improve staff engagement and motivate organisations with lower testing rates to replicate the success achieved by their partners.

“Emma Davis [NHS ML Business Intelligence Lead] proved a very intelligent business resource for us – quickly responding to potential risks and challenges. 

“The Lancashire LAMP lab has been one of the most successful LAMP labs earning a strong reputation nationally. Emma’s role made the programme slicker, well-armed with data and very able to show that not only did the programme efficiently deliver to contract – but it excelled – and got the national reputation it deserved.”

Dr Amanda Thornton, LAMP Project Director, Healthier Lancashire & South Cumbria

The Lancashire LAMP lab has been one of the most successful LAMP labs earning a strong reputation nationally.

For more information

For more information and to learn how we can help your organisation, please contact us.