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Creating a Discrete Event Simulation Model for a

Mental Health Hub

HSMA 6 Showcase, 24th June 2025

Nathan Hack, Data Manager for Adult Mental Health

Dr Helen Wharam, Advanced QI Methodologist

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Who We Are

Provide community, mental health and learning disability services

Across Hampshire and Isle of Wight

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Why We Joined the HSMA Programme

Identified a skills and knowledge gap within our organisation

  • Operational Research
  • Could sit within the Academy for Research and Improvement
  • Support demand and capacity management and planning, and transformation activities

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Used the HSMA programme to

  • Develop knowledge and skills
  • Showcase the art of the possible
  • Springboard for developing roles within the Academy

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  • Discrete Event Simulation Model for the Mental Health Hub in Portsmouth
  • Service created 2 years ago
  • Acts as a call centre providing mental health signposting, advice and guidance to those contacting the Hub
  • Current service capacity to answer and manage calls was based on estimates of anticipated demand
  • Routes into the service are now being expanded and demand is potentially growing
  • The service would now benefit from understanding queues and associated resource requirements

The Project We Chose

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The Hub DES Model

GP Divert, priority 1

Hub Direct, priority 2

Contact Form, priority 4

A2i Triage, priority 3

Web Chat, priority 5

Select next call to answer in priority order

Calls waiting/queuing

Facilitator available?

Facilitator responds to call

Practitioner responds to call

Practitioner available?

Call completed

Call completed

Yes

No

Yes

No

Average queuing time per call type

Average call length per call type

%% resource utilisation per day for Facilitators & Practitioners

Note: Facilitator availability needs to take account of a 10 minute break every hour, Practitioner availability is 30 per hour, and all staff have a ½ hour lunch break

Model outputs

Call routes have different response priorities,

average frequencies , call lengths and data distributions

Service open 8am – 6pm

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Model Outputs Across All Runs

Call Type

Mean Waiting Time

Maximum Waiting Time

Mean Time with Facilitator

Mean Time with Practitioner

GP Divert

1.22

22.3

16.94

22.95

Webchat Call

1.66

52.0

17.63

10.34

Webchat Typing

0.0

0.0

13.47

16.87

A2i

0.92

21.22

33.69

27.90

Contact Form

1.34

25.82

2.18

1.69

Direct

0.90

18.67

31.0

28.41

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Outputs

Changeable parameters

Supporting Resources

Next Steps

Will include visual displays (histograms/box and whisker plots) of:

  • Average queuing time, numbers waiting, call length per contact type
  • Maximum number waiting
  • % resource utilisation per day for Facilitators and Practitioners

A digital guide to using the Web app will be developed

Basic Function:

  • Number of Facilitators and Practitioners
  • Availability of Facilitators and Practitioners
  • Length of time open

Advanced Function:

  • Average call frequency per call type
  • Average call length per call type
  • Call priority

Working with key stakeholders to design Streamlit App

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Modelling changing pathways

Ensuring cost effectiveness

Evidence based approach to service development

Contributing to a wider culture of continuous improvement

Anticipated Impact

The model provides the Hub with the ability to explore resource utilisation and identify the most effective balance between Facilitators and Practitioners.

The Hub is only available in Portsmouth. The Trust be interested in introducing a similar Hub in other geographical areas: this model will provide the facility to take an evidence based approach to planning such a service.

The Academy for Research and Improvement will use this model to showcase the potential for operational research skills to support our demand and capacity programme, and some transformation activities. 

GP Divert calls are being trialled with one Primary Care Network (PCN).  Plans are underway to roll this out across more PCNs.

The model will enable the Hub to understand potential resource requirements and cost implications for the service and the PCNs.

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Words of Advice

Come with someone else from your organisation

It helped us that we ….

  • worked as a pair
  • had different strengths
  • worked in different parts of the organisation
  • had different roles

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Choosing a project

  • ensure feasibility
  • access to data
  • manager/service support
  • ring fenced time

When the going get’s tough – just keep going and you will reap the rewards

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Contact us

For more information on the Academy please visit the Academy website, intranet pages and social profiles

academy.hiowhealthcare.nhs.uk

academy@solent.nhs.uk

/solentacademy

@hiowhacademy

Academy of Research & Improvement

@hiowacademy

@hiowhacademy

Nathan.Hack@solent.nhs.uk

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Helen.Wharam@solent.nhs.uk

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