Location in SystemView: SystemView > Explore > Beds > Inpatient Occupancy Forecaster > Live Inpatient Occupancy Forecast
In this article:
- What is it?
- Why it matters
- How to use it
- How it works
- How it helps you
- Best practices
- Interactive guide
- FAQs / Troubleshooting
What is it?
The Live Inpatient Occupancy Forecast tool predicts hospital bed occupancy for the coming days, enabling you to identify pressure points early and take proactive action to balance demand and capacity.
Why it matters
See tomorrow’s occupancy, today.
This component empowers hospitals to anticipate bed shortages and plan patient flow with confidence. It helps prevent bottlenecks, improve discharge coordination, and ensure safe and efficient use of inpatient capacity.
Key benefits:
- Identify wards forecasted to exceed bed capacity.
- Plan elective admissions around predicted peaks.
- Support timely discharges and reduce access block.
- Improve visibility of demand trends across hospital divisions.
How to use it
Filter to focus your view
Use filters to narrow your forecast to a specific hospital, division, or ward:
- Facility/Hospital – Select the facility you want to focus on.
- Division – Choose one or more divisions.
- Ward – Choose one or more wards.
- Type – Filter by bed type (e.g. Standard Beds, Special Purpose Beds).
- Forecast Days – Select the number of days ahead to forecast.
- Current Patient Details – Click to view current patients and total length of stay.
- Show Elective Surgery Patients – Click to view planned admissions and scheduled admission dates
💡 Tip: Combine division and ward filters to zoom in on the areas most likely to face capacity constraints
Monitor key forecast metrics
Each tile displays an insight into inpatient demand and capacity:
| Tile Name | What It Shows |
| Occupancy Forecast Metrics | Overview of current and projected occupancy |
| Occupancy Forecast by Start of Day | Forecasted number of inpatients per day vs. the estimated capacity. |
| New Demand by Day and Patient Type | Expected new admissions split by patient type (e.g., scheduled or unscheduled). |
| Future Predicted Discharges by Day and Patient Type | Forecasted discharges to support discharge planning. |
| Occupancy Forecast by Date and Division | Daily forecasted occupancy at division level. |
| Occupancy Forecast by Date and Ward | Daily forecasted occupancy at ward level. |
💡 Tip: Hover or click to view additional patient details within each tile.
How it works
This component combines statistical simulation and machine-learning models to estimate future bed use.
It looks at patterns such as admission timing, length of stay, and discharge trends to estimate how many beds will be occupied on each day.
This allows hospitals to see the impact of upcoming bookings and potential discharge activity on their future capacity. These forecasts are continuously refined as new data becomes available, helping teams make confident, evidence-based decisions about capacity and flow.
How it helps you
- Plan ahead with confidence: Anticipate bed demand before bottlenecks occur.
- Stay in control of flow: Adjust discharge planning and admissions in response to upcoming peaks.
- Make data-driven decisions: Rely on accurate forecasts backed by advanced predictive modelling.
- Support collaboration: Give operational, clinical, and executive teams a single source of truth on future capacity.
- Reduce last-minute pressure: Avoid reactive bed management by planning resourcing and patient movements early.
Best practices
How often should I use it?
| What to Do | How Often | Who Should Do It | Why It Helps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Review occupancy forecasts for upcoming days | Daily | Bed Managers, Patient Flow Coordinators | Identify early capacity risks and prepare proactive bed management strategies. |
| Cross-check forecasts with Scheduled Demand | Weekly | Hospital Operations Managers, Bed Managers | Align elective admissions with forecasted capacity to prevent overbooking or overflow. |
| Review ward-level occupancy trends | Weekly | NUMs / Ward Leaders | Anticipate ward-level demand to plan staffing and discharge priorities. |
| Share key insights from forecasts with leadership teams | Weekly | Hospital Operations Managers, Patient Flow Leads | Support executive decision-making and enhance visibility of system pressures. |
Pair with these components
- Inpatient Occupancy Forecaster > Historical Analysis: Review how accurate past forecasts were to assess model performance and improve confidence in future predictions
- Inpatient Demand > Scheduled Demand: Review detailed elective admission schedules to see how future planned activity affects forecasted occupancy.
- LoS Trends & Ward Dynamics: Compare forecasted trends with historical length of stay and occupancy patterns.
- Bed Capacity Monitor: Confirm capacity data is current and aligned with forecasted demand.
Tips for success
- Check the Occupancy Forecast Metrics tile daily to spot early pressure points.
- Use Forecast Days to explore both short-term and longer-term capacity risks.
- Combine forecast data with Current Patient Details to prioritise potential discharges.
- Review ward-level forecasts regularly before peak periods or public holidays.
Take a quick tour
Click through the interactive guide below to see how the Live Inpatient Occupancy Forecast tool works in action.
❓FAQs / Troubleshooting
Q: Why can’t I view all facilities?
A: The component supports one district and one facility/hospital selection at a time.
Q: Why are some wards missing?
A: Only Main Ward Groups are included. Day-case or specialty wards are excluded from forecasting.
Q: Why can I only see forecasts for up to 10 days ahead?
A: The forecast horizon depends on how far in advance your site schedules inpatient activity. Some hospitals only schedule admissions up to 7–10 days ahead, so forecasts beyond that may not be available or reliable. Sites that plan further in advance will see longer forecast ranges.