Tameside & Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust is using artificial intelligence to identify patients who may be at greater risk of returning to its emergency department within 30 days.
The initiative is intended to help clinical and operational teams intervene earlier, reduce avoidable reattendance and ease pressure on urgent care services. It combines predictive analytics with multidisciplinary decision-making, allowing limited health and social care resources to be directed towards patients who may benefit most from additional support.
The system uses information already collected during visits to the emergency department at Tameside General Hospital. This includes demographic details, method of arrival, triage information, long-term health conditions and previous emergency or inpatient admissions.
Patients identified as being at higher risk are reviewed by multidisciplinary teams involving NHS staff and health and social care partners. Tailored follow-up support can then be arranged in the community, with the aim of managing emerging problems before they develop into further emergencies.
Liam Brierley, Operational Intelligence Lead at the trust, said the tool was designed to predict reattendance rather than simply examine it retrospectively.
“Our ambition is ultimately to change how we anticipate patient need,” he said.
Early findings reported by the trust suggest that reattendance among higher-risk patients has fallen by between 33% and 50%, although results have varied from week to week. The trust plans to continue developing the model as more data becomes available, alongside further automation intended to reduce administrative pressure on staff and improve the safety and quality of care.
The project demonstrates how predictive modelling can be incorporated into an operational decision process rather than used solely as an analytical tool. Risk scores are considered alongside clinical judgement and multidisciplinary expertise, helping teams decide where intervention may have the greatest impact.
The wider system implications are also significant. Preventing repeat emergency visits depends not only on decisions made within the hospital, but on coordination between acute care, community health services and social care. This reflects a central Operational Research challenge: improving outcomes across an interconnected system in which resources, demand and responsibilities are distributed between multiple organisations.
Before the technology was introduced, it was tested extensively and its clinical workflow was developed with input from patient safety specialists. Data security experts were also involved to ensure that patient information remained protected and accessible only to authorised staff.
The trust stressed that the system is not intended to replace clinical judgement. Instead, it provides clinicians with additional insight so that support can be offered sooner and care delivered, in Mr Brierley’s words, “before a crisis occurs”.
The initiative follows continued investment in urgent care at Tameside General Hospital, including the opening of a new £20 million emergency department in September 2024. The trust serves around 250,000 people across Tameside and Glossop.
The project has also been shortlisted in the Urgent and Emergency Care Safety Initiative of the Year category at the 2026 HSJ Patient Safety Awards. The winners are due to be announced on 28 September 2026.
References
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/greater-manchester-hospital-were-ai-34212487
https://www.tamesideandglossopicft.nhs.uk/news-and-events/latest-news/tameside-hospitals-new-20-million-emergency-department-officially-opens