Care co-ordination centres go live across Nottinghamshire to support NHS over winter

The centres were just one of the measures announced as part of NHS winter planning in October alongside falls response teams, hubs dedicated to serious respiratory infections and additional bed capacity.

Each of the five integrated care systems in the East Midlands – for Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire – now has a dedicated operation where teams can track data to help them make quick decisions in the face of emerging challenges.

Centre staff will monitor a range of live data, including A&E performance and waiting times, staff sickness rates, ambulance response times and bed occupancy.

For example, data will be used to see where hospitals can benefit from mutual aid, or if ambulances can be diverted to another nearby hospital with more beds.

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, NHS England Midlands regional medical director, said: “These centres are just one part of our 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,

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

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