Students at a school in Southend have partnered with the NHS to create interactive games in a bid to help the public “understand the complexities of healthcare budget decisions”.
The initiative is designed to raise awareness about healthcare priorities in Essex through engaging and educational gameplay.
Two standout games have been developed from this partnership with Southend High School for Boys.
The first game is a simulation that challenges players to balance resources between GP services and hospitals.
Players must manage staff recruitment and facility development while meeting targets to deliver high-quality patient care.
The second game presents players with six crucial healthcare sectors, including mental health, maternity care, and A&E services.
Players are shown how funding decisions impact both individual patient experiences and nationwide healthcare outcomes.
Random events, such as unexpected budget changes due to a flue outbreak, and real-world complexity to the decision-making process.
These games offer an innovative way to help our community understand the challenges we face in allocating healthcare resources to make the biggest difference.
I would like to thank all of the students involved.
They have done a really fantastic job of creating engaging tools that demonstrate how funding decisions affect both individual patients and our broader healthcare system.
– Tom Abell, Chief Executive of NHS Mid and South Essex
The games are expected to be part of a wider community engagement initiative to help information local healthcare priorities.
This is my first time coding a project like this, and it has been a great experience doing this project.
As well as showing me the challenges of coding, I found out facts about the NHS I would not have known otherwise.
– Cameron Wilkinson, 14
The students have really enjoyed being part of this project.
It has provided our students with a valuable opportunity to apply their technical skills to real-world challenges in the NHS.
They have had to master creating engaging interactive designs while gaining insights into real life local healthcare economics.
– Mr Nzemeke, Head of Computer Science at Southend High School for Boys