Simulation modelling for performance measurement in healthcare

Discrete event simulation is widely used to model healthcare systems with a view to their improvement. Most applications focus on discrete aspects of healthcare, such as accident and emergency rooms or outpatient clinics. However, despite this success with simulation at an operational level, there are no reported uses of discrete event simulation for the development and improvement of health policy. We describe the development of such a policy-oriented model, aimed at improving performance assessment in the UK National Health Service