Dotted Eyes event highlights support for NHS....

18 September 2009, 5:34pm

Dotted Eyes event highlights support for NHS world class commissioning

The growing use of geographic information to support world class commissioning of NHS services is the focus of a free seminar to be hosted by spatial solutions provider Dotted Eyes.

Public health analysts from across England will discuss how primary care trusts can access mapping data to help inform their local service delivery.

The event features a keynote presentation on the Department of Health competencies that guide commissioning, especially Competency 5 which covers knowledge management and strategic needs assessments.

Experts from Dotted Eyes, Pitney Bowes Business Insight and Ordnance Survey will outline the latest geographic information and software available for health analysis applications.

The event is the second to be held under the NHS Digital Mapping Agreement which enables primary care trusts, strategic health authorities, NHS trusts and ambulance trusts to access a wide portfolio of map data.

The centrally procured agreement, between Dotted Eyes and the NHS Information Centre, is designed to support the planning, delivery and analysis of health services over four years.

Patrick Costello, Dotted Eyes’ NHS Agreement Manager, said: “Feedback from our NHS customers has shown the importance of GIS in helping to make sense of the vast quantities of information they have to interpret.

“More than 120 NHS organisations are now using mapping from the agreement to support their strategic planning.”

Andy Mobbs, Policy and Customer Manager at the NHS Information Centre, who will give the keynote presentation, said: “The seminar is an ideal chance to focus on knowledge management at a time when the NHS is seeking to deliver world class commissioning.

“Geographic information is an important part of the evidence base for choices behind service reviews, public health campaign planning, the location of resources and many other critical issues.”

Tom Probert, EMEA Desktop Product Marketing Manager at Pitney Bowes Business Insight, will demonstrate the new functionality within MapInfo Professional v10.0, the latest version of the company’s flagship application for business mapping and analysis, and will run a user forum to ascertain how MapInfo Professional may be further developed to facilitate the vital work carried out by public health analysts.

He will also informally launch Health Profiler, a complementary MapInfo Professional plug-in with fast analytical capabilities.

Mr Probert said: “We are constantly working with our customers to build new functionality into our software to ensure it continues to meet the needs of users. We are delighted to come and discuss how it can help improve healthcare analytics and world class commissioning in the NHS.”

The seminar is open to all NHS Digital Mapping Agreement members and to organisations eligible to apply for membership, including all NHS organisations in England and Wales.

The event takes place at Jurys Inn, Broad Street, Birmingham, on Tuesday 29th September, from 09:30 to 15:45.

For more information, or to reserve your places, visit www.dottedeyes.com/nhsevents.

www.dottedeyes.com/nhsevents

GeoConnexion UK