Head of Performance and Information (Scheduled Care)

International Day of Women and Girls in Science

I have been in my current role for four years, providing performance analytics for scheduled care, as well as using operational research techniques to inform service changes. Scheduled care involves patients being referred to the hospital, rather than being admitted as an emergency case. Operational research is, put simply, and in the words of the Operational Research Society, “the science of better”.  

I was attracted to this role at CTM as it was a senior analytical role to support services with improving and managing their clinical areas. I am not a person who could be a doctor or nurse, but I know my skills allow me to help patients in an indirect way. For example, if a new service is being set up, I can calculate how much space is needed, how many clinics, the number of staff needed and what waiting times are likely to be. If this is done effectively from the beginning, it makes a huge difference to patients’ experiences. 

There is no typical day and often it’s a case of responding to changes or challenges in services as well as planning how to deliver services more effectively.  During the recent Princess of Wales hospital roof incident, for example, I had to calculate exactly how many beds would be needed in other hospitals to ensure that patients could be transferred and treated effectively.  

I really enjoy helping patients and clinical teams. It may not always be visible or obvious to most people, but I know that my work helps. I recently built a model in Python - the computer programming language - which can calculate how many beds are needed for in-patient care for an entire hospital, taking into account seasonality. There are different pressures at different times of year, and this can be demonstrated in the model to ensure there are no unexpected gaps in service.  

There is a common misconception that understanding mathematical outcomes is too difficult or incomprehensible. I often hear the phrase “I can’t do numbers.” My role is to do the complex mathematical work or computer modelling, but make it clear and accessible. I always try to explain or present my work in a number of ways to ensure the receiving person or department understands what I am giving them. This kind of targeted information is crucial to getting patient care right and in NHS management roles, numeracy is something that cannot be shied away from.  
 
To help me stay ahead, I’m currently reading up on AI libraries in Python (TensorFlow) and how that can be used to predict a patient’s length of stay. I also mentor junior analysts where they want to expand to a more senior analytical role or just learn about what I do. I’ve personally benefitted from mentoring, having had the support of Dr Jennifer Morgan, NHS Executive, who is an absolute boss in the Operational Research field. Other women in STEM that I look up to are: 

• Tracy Parfitt – CTM Senior Information Systems Analyst. Manages the data warehouse structure, tables and can fix ANY SQL (Structured Query Language used to manage data) 

• Jeanie Parker – CTM Head of Business Intelligence. Runs the Business Intelligence unit making sure all reports are managed, and is heading up our transfer from Qlik reporting to Power BI. 

If you are already working in an informatics role, access courses that will expose you to Python, R, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Courses are available online or through educational institutes. Cardiff University Lifelong Learning , for example, have Python and R computer programming courses. Concessionary fees and a fee waiver scheme are available for those who meet the criteria (if you are a carer, care leaver, have a disability, receive DWP benefits, currently seeking a job, black or minority ethnic, LGBTQ+, your parents did not study at university or you live in an area where, traditionally, few people access university). 

For girls interested in this kind of role in the future, it’s important to study maths-related subjects. This can be challenging, especially when skills like these are seen as “nerdy”. Take the chance to study coding, join clubs and societies at school or college that champion careers for women in STEM, and take work experience opportunities. Don’t be put off from enrolling on A level Maths or Further Maths, or undertaking a maths degree. I have an MSc in Operational Research and Applied Statistics, with an interest in Artificial Intelligence. My undergraduate degree was in Business Administration, majoring in finance, and I have always been interested in maths and numeracy. The skills and knowledge I developed in my MSc directly impact and influence the work I do on a daily basis.