In this project, the optimum location for 22 neonatal care sites across North West England was explored.
The algorithm chosen gave equal weighting to the goals of
- minimising average travel time
- maximising the proportion of people within 30 minutes
- minimising the maximum possible distance travelled
- maximising the number of care episodes taking place in level 3 NICU units
- maximising the minimum number of admissions per year (i.e. trying to avoid units with very low numbers of admissions)
- minimising the largest number of admissions per year (i.e. trying to avoid units with very high numbers of admissions)
- maximising the proportion within 30 mintues and in level 3 NICU units
This was then built into a discrete event simulation model and a dashboard, allowing a range of scenarios to be explored by stakeholders.
