The 6th IMA International Conference on Quantitative Modelling in the Management of Healthcare will take place on 29-31 March 2010 at Mary Ward House, London.

Health and Social Care systems are undergoing major changes worldwide, due in part to changes in demography and in part to increased competition between parts of the system whether they are hospitals, primary care trusts, or general practitioners. Yet running health and social care systems efficiently and effectively is crucial to improving or even maintaining our quality of life. Over the years, extensive research has been conducted to find immediate and long-term solutions to issues that are routinely faced by health and social care management professionals, such as waiting lists and bed capacity, hospital redesign, workforce planning and scheduling, patient flow modelling, performance management, disease monitoring, and health care technology assessment. Simulation and modelling techniques (statistical analysis, stochastic processes, queuing theory, mathematical programming, heuristics, discrete event simulation, system dynamics, etc) have shown to be increasingly valuable in providing useful information to aid planning and management.

The aim of the conference is to bring together health care managers, clinicians, management consultants, and mathematicians, operational researchers, statisticians, economists, computer scientists etc from across the world with a view to bridging the gap between the communities and to exploring recent developments and identifying fruitful avenues for further research.

Scientific enquiries should be made to Thierry Chaussalet. General enquiries concerning conference arrangements should be sent to Amy Marsh, The Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, Catherine Richards House, 16 Nelson Street, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England SS1 1EF. Tel: +44 (0) 1702 356104.

Further information can be found on the IMA conference website.