University College London AI tool wins prestigious award

University College London's Artificial Intelligence tool is to estimate how many hospital beds will be needed in eight hours’ time, incorporating live data of patients who have arrived at the hospital’s emergency department.

University College London software which uses artificial intelligence, won the Healthcare Partnership of the Year category at the London Higher Awards 2024.

University College London Hospital used this tool for the last year on a daily basis and as per the university the the tool is significantly more accurate than the traditional way of trying to predict patient flow.

Lead researcher Dr Zella King (UCL Clinical Operational Research Unit) said, “We are thrilled to have won this award. We are incredibly proud of the partnership we have built with UCLH to improve patient outcomes. Our AI models provide a much richer picture of the likely demand for beds throughout the course of the day. This can help planners to manage patient flow, so much so that we are now looking to extend these models to other hospitals around London, promoting faster access to high-quality care for patients.”

The use of this tool by the university has been so successful that the university is planning to extend the partnership to develop further models, including making predictions specific to medical or surgical wards and predicting patient discharges as well as admissions.

UCL recommendations to avoid housing scams while searching for student accommodation

The university has come up with tips on how to protect students from housing scams. The Crime Prevention and Personal Safety Team supports the UCL team with any concerns related to housing scams. In case of any problem, the students can discuss it with the team.

“At UCL, my team and I provide students with the highest quality care and support for their personal safety and security. No matter the problem, big or small, we will be available at any stage to assist in your concerns," said Sophie Bimson, Crime Prevention and Personal Safety Advisor.

For private housing providers and portals, the guidance can be given by the University of London Housing Service.

"UCL Accommodation is pleased to provide a webpage that highlights alternative accommodation options to students who are looking for housing outside of UCL Accommodation," said the university.

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