In cancer care, ClearPath pathway models helped establish Leeds as a national centre for cancer data analytics research and establish a new doctoral training centre for using artificial intelligence (AI) in cancer diagnosis and care.
The ClearPath project has had a significant impact on at least seven care pathways in the Yorkshire region and nationally. ClearPath is an approach that produces actionable intelligence from care pathway visualisations designed to support operational decision-making.
The ClearPath approach has been used across a wide variety of settings:
In social care, ClearPath produced a decision model to support earlier detection of childhood autism in Bradford schools.
In primary care, models were created for hazardous prescribing patterns in Manchester and pathways for urinary tract infection for NHS England.
In elderly care, the team modelled the progression of frailty and correlation with polypharmacy and falls.
In urgent and emergency care, ClearPath produced “what if” models for the introduction of a Children’s Clinical Decision Area (CCDA) for the paediatric ambulatory care pathway at Bradford Royal Infirmary, new models of triage at Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Trust, a proposed Urgent Care Hub for Leeds city commissioners and a city region model for the city of Bradford.
In secondary care, the pathways for complex conditions for Giant Cell Arteritis and Functional Neurological Disorder were modelled and are informing national debate.
An innovative software developer, ADI of Shipley, was supported to refine its MyPathway product for musculoskeletal care.
In cancer care, pathway models were developed which exemplify Leeds as a national centre for cancer data analytics research and as a centre for doctoral training for using AI in cancer diagnosis and care.
The ClearPath Method combines data from disparate sources with qualitative investigation methods to produce care pathway models. These can be run as simulations of current care and “what if” improvement scenarios. ClearPath uses the NETIMIS care pathway simulation tool which was developed by University of Leeds spin-out X-Lab Ltd and made available to CHC. The approach was to train undergraduate, masters and PhD students in the ClearPath method and tools and then support them working with local NHS stakeholders through to the completion of a successful pathway improvement. In the replicator project, University of Liverpool used the ClearPath Method to model data on alcohol related emergency admissions to demonstrate the ease with which ClearPath could add value to collaborative partners. Highly effective pathway models were produced within several months by embedding a University of Leeds student within the Liverpool team on just a one day a week basis. The analytical approaches used by the Clearpath team have proved very successful and have had a strong impact on the careers of over a dozen young people including some who have now taken leadership roles in the NHS and health industry. ClearPath has introduced scientific methods from process analytics to the understanding of care pathways. The team at Leeds forms one of the largest research groups in care pathway data and process mining worldwide and is linked to other international centres in Europe, Chile and Australia. ClearPath case studies from the North of England have been presented in the UK, Europe and worldwide.
