TOWARDS A MODEL FOR HOSPITAL CASELOAD DECISION-SUPPORT

This paper presents an operational model of patient flow through a hos pital. The operations involved in the patient flow are explained and t he development and use of the model are discussed. The model uses the data derived from the NHS minimum contract data set which is collected by all hospitals, and this results in the model being generalizable t o any hospital. Typically the model can be used to determine the appro priate bed numbers for a given arrival pattern, or the effects of part icular management strategies or changes in patient care patterns on th e hospital. The model is implemented on a PC running the Microsoft Win dows operating environment, and solved used a simulation approach.