South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) is working with Ordnance Survey (OS) on a trial aimed at improving the efficiency and reliability of its ambulance fleet using predictive maintenance, enabled by geospatial and telematics data integration.
SCAS operates more than 300 emergency vehicles across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire, with 99% of the fleet typically deployed at any given time. With each fully equipped ambulance costing around £200,000 on the road, maximising the operational lifespan of every vehicle is essential.
To reduce the need for unscheduled maintenance, SCAS is collaborating with OS, analytics provider Qlik, and channel partner Differentia Consulting to build a predictive maintenance model based on data from vehicle telematics and road conditions.
Each ambulance is fitted with two telemetric trackers – one monitoring engine components and electrical systems, and another connected to the 999 control room. OS is using its National Geographic Database to map journey data and analyse factors such as road type, gradient, curvature, urban versus rural routes, and average speeds, which all affect vehicle wear.
Vivienne Parsons, senior management information analyst at SCAS, said: “As well as the purchasing, conversion and equipment costs to get each ambulance on the road, it takes 12 members of staff to cover each vehicle’s weekly operational rota, all with their own associated recruitment, training and university costs. Looking for other ways to innovate and improve service delivery and patient experience has led us to consider the wealth of data we capture from our vehicles. I am really excited to see what story we will be able to tell from the data and the impact this can have.
“The help we are being offered by working collaboratively with OS, Qlik and Differentia Consulting is amazing; they are a key part of our analytical journey, providing the insight and expertise that we do not have.”
James Armstrong, geospatial consultant at OS, added: “Ambulance services are already dedicated users of OS geospatial data, but it’s exciting to know that applying our data to this new model has great potential to improve the efficiency of the SCAS fleet, ultimately enhancing its ability to provide urgent care to those in need. It’s incredibly rewarding for OS to be part of this project and potentially help to apply it across other emergency services fleets longer term.”
