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Covid response

Data analysis, modelling and management

Accurate and rapid analysis and management of data 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the need for data analysis and support for remote working generated many requests for our experience and knowledge in data science.   

NPL is helped the Royal College of General Practitioners Research and Surveillance Centre to produce their regular updates on communicable and respiratory diseases for Public Health England throughout 2020. We also worked with the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust on supporting the remote working for as many staff as possible, not something that had been a priority before the pandemic.

NPL was able to offer help to the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust by analysing different kinds of medical data, including:

  • extracting the maximum amount of reliable data from biomarkers tests
  • analysing the critical pathways in cancer care to meet the anticipated increase in demand post-Covid
  • preparing buildings for safe and efficient movement of patients and staff around hospital sites while adhering to the government guidelines.

NPL was heavily involved in testing PPE, a process that often involves several testing iterations as designs are refined. Data science allowed certain tests to be simulated, such as field of view tests, so that the computer model could predict if a design would pass the test. This helped streamline the testing and gave confidence that the PPE would pass the tests.  

NPL also investigated:

  • Using signal analysis of telephone calls to GPs or 111 to diagnose Covid-19 by analysing the acoustic signals of breathing and coughing
  • Analysing the link between mortality or diagnosed Covid-19 cases with air quality data to understand the impact of pollution.

If you would like to discuss further, please contact us.

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The Royal College of General Practitioners Research and Surveillance Centre

The Oxford Royal College of General Practitioners Research and Surveillance Centre (RCGP RSC) produces reports twice a week for Public Health England on Communicable and Respiratory Disease, using data from GP practices across the country. The Covid-19 crisis meant that the production of the weekly reports became extremely important and was more complex due to the increasing volume of data and cases of Covid-19 being reported.

NPL reached out to the Oxford-RCGP RSC offering help and resource, which was gratefully accepted. Four NPL scientists have been working the Oxford-RCGP RSC team from March to December 2020 to assist them in the provision and extension of the primary care national surveillance reports, as well as adding resilience to their team.

The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust (RFL) approached NPL with a number of data analysis and modelling issues that needing addressing to help them manage successfully during the pandemic. These included:

  • optimising hospital flow
  • optimising the cancer diagnostic pathway
  • understanding the cause and effect of thrombosis in Covid-19 patients though biomarker clustering.  

Find out more about our work with RFL

Impact during Covid-19

  • Enabling organisations to operate effectively while responding to the pandemic and adhering to government social distancing guidelines
  • Accelerating the pace of data analysis
  • Enabling complex analysis of data and greater understanding of uncertainty

Find out more about NPL’s Covid-19 response

Ventilators
PPE
Temperature measurement
Providing critical services during lockdown
e-learning
Outreach
Antiviral surfaces and materials
Sterilisation
Oxygen supply and sensors
Supporting vaccine development
Covid sensors
Air quality in dental surgeries
Measurement for Recovery

Work with us

Our research and measurement solutions support innovation and product development. We work with companies to deliver business advantage and commercial success.
Contact our Customer Services team on +44 20 8943 7070

General enquiry