Health and Care Leaders in Cheshire Partner With Qlik to Help Solve Population Health Challenges

London – Qlik has partnered with health and care leaders in Cheshire to develop predictive tools, which enable frontline staff to better identify and support patients at highest risk of health deterioration.

A fundamental aspect of the NHS Long Term Plan, Population Health – an approach aimed at improving physical and mental health, promoting wellbeing and reducing health inequalities across an entire population – marks the  move towards more preventative care, particularly for those who are frail or live with long-term conditions. In Cheshire, this approach is supported by the use of digital technology and Qlik Data Analytics Platform predictive analytics.

“Our local population is increasing and the profile of health needs is changing,” said Andy McGivern, Associate Director of Business Intelligence (BI) for the Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Groups and BI lead for Cheshire West Integrated Care Partnership. “Better use of data and technology has the power to improve health, transforming the quality and reducing the cost of health and care services. Our work with Qlik can give people more control over their health and wellbeing, empower carers, reduce the administrative burden for care professionals and support the development of new medicines and treatments.”

Qlik’s implementation has been overseen by the newly-created BI board, whose remit will be to leverage software and services to transform data into actionable insights that will inform strategic decisions. The board was created as part of a drive by Cheshire West Integrated Care Partnership to use the power of data to shift population health management from a theoretical solution into a powerful tool for use in the daily work of frontline health and care staff. The BI board will also be responsible for the creation of Digital Patient Registries and bespoke risk stratification algorithms – a first step in the creation of a Population Health Portal.

“By using Qlik technology to create clear and actionable risk stratification systems, our teams have been energised by the knowledge that they’re quickly able to spot patients whose conditions are not being optimally managed,” said Dr Andy McAlavey, Medical Director for NHS West Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group. “This, alongside the ability to investigate and manage cohorts of patients we rarely interact with, is providing our staff with the tools that will provide the best possible care to our patients.”

Resource and time-poor frontline health and care staff need tools that can help quickly identify the patients at highest risk. Using Qlik enables staff to segment their population based on risk of hospital admission and quickly spot patients whose conditions aren’t being optimally managed. Personalised care plans, which support people who have, or are at risk of, developing long-term health conditions also help to equip people with the tools they need to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing, e.g. being smoke free, eating well, staying active and taking care of your mental health.

“With the CCGs across Cheshire merging in April 2020, we’ve been given an exciting opportunity to revisit best practise within a new single Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group,” said Dr Teresa Strefford, Executive Clinical Director, Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group. “Implementing Qlik technology to create powerful risk stratification systems has furnished us with a powerful tool to quickly identify the patients at highest risk. We look forward to equipping GP practises across Cheshire with this new technology – through proactive care and identification of the right patients, both clinical teams and patients will see a positive impact.”

“We are proud to be helping Cheshire health and care professionals understand population health from both a strategic and tactical level, said Sean Price, EMEA Director of Industry Solutions, Public Sector & Healthcare at Qlik. “The pressure on our healthcare system continues to increase with growing demand and risk, combined with acute resource restraints. Now, more than ever, innovative leaders need to realise that data analytics provides the key to transforming ways of working to sustain and improve the services delivered to the public.”

About Qlik

Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, one where everyone can use data to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. Only Qlik offers end-to-end, real-time data integration and analytics solutions that help organizations access and transform all their data into value. Qlik helps companies lead with data to see more deeply into customer behavior, reinvent business processes, discover new revenue streams, and balance risk and reward. Qlik does business in more than 100 countries and serves over 50,000 customers around the world.