A Decision Support Tool for Accident and Emergency Departments at University of Hertfordshire

About the project

With the resurgence of demand reaching pre-COVID-19 levels, Accident and Emergency departments (A&E) are facing significant challenges. As of January 2023, A&E departments’ ability to attend to patients within the four-hour target stands at just over 65%, falling far below the NHS goal of 95%. Additionally, an increasing number of patients leave the department without being seen by a consultant, and there has been a rise in patients waiting in ambulances outside hospitals. Ongoing doctor strikes, the departure of healthcare professionals from the NHS, and a mismatch between the number of doctors joining and the escalating demand for services pose further concerns. The ageing population and immigration trends indicate that the unmet demand and supply imbalance will exacerbate. Consequently, conventional solutions aimed at alleviating the strain on the NHS through resource scaling will prove inadequate. It is imperative to explore radical actions and innovative solutions to enhance A&E performance. The PhD study will address existing gaps in the literature and generate a substantial impact on hospitals and patients alike. It will do so by developing a decision support tool to simulate A&E departments in the UK, with the goal of improving their performance. The research will also evaluate innovative approaches to reduce waiting times and alleviate the mounting pressure on A&E services, including the automation of diagnostic processes through kiosk machines, leveraging modern health technologies, and providing round-the-clock general practitioner services. The methodology entails capturing details of A&E departments and patient flow. Roundtable meetings will be conducted with healthcare professionals and the A&E services management team to facilitate conceptualization, data collection, model validation and verification. Brainstorming sessions will also be employed to generate innovative solutions. The developed tool will assist decision-makers in effectively managing patients and departments. It will enable them to evaluate all proposed long-term solutions before deploying them in the real world. Moreover, the tool can be used to test scenarios involving sudden increases in demand or staff shortages, such as strikes, to address short-term challenges. Travel and fieldwork costs will be covered, as will conference attendance and staff development activities for the appointee.

Applicant requirements

Applicants should have at least an upper second-class honours degree in a relevant discipline. A master degree in a relevant field will be advantageous.

The studentship is open to UK/EU and international applicants.

How to apply

Applicants are required to provide the following documents:

• A completed application form, available for download at: http://www.herts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/31105/uh-application-form.pdf.;
• A 2000 words research proposal;
• Two academic references;
• Copies of qualification certificates and transcripts;
• Certification of English language competence (minimum IELTS 6.5 or equivalent) for candidates for whom English is not their first language;
• A copy of passport photo page.

Please send completed applications to the Doctoral College at doctoralcollegeadmissions@herts.ac.uk, using the following format in the email subject line: “Business School_studentship application_Yakutcan”.

For enquiries concerning this studentship and the Business School please contact Dr Usame Yakutcan (u.yakutcan@herts.ac.uk).  

Key dates

Closing date for applications: 11 August 2023.