A cloud-based system used to track Covid cases in Worcestershire has won an award.

The Nimrod system was developed by Worcestershire County Council during the pandemic as part of the authority’s local outbreak plan.

It proved instrumental in helping public health workers and partner organisations to record, track and manage Covid cases and outbreaks.

Now the system has been recognised at the Public Sector Transformation Awards 2022, with the council given a silver award for best use of digital and technology.

Matthew Fung, public health consultant at Worcestershire County Council, said: “This was the most competitive category, which reinforces the innovation and great work that went into developing Nimrod.

“I am appreciative of the talented people in WCC that I have the pleasure of working with who make winning awards like this possible.”

Managing Covid outbreaks in Worcestershire

Dr Kathryn Cobain, director of public health for the council, said: “I’m really pleased that the hard work we put into making the NIMROD system happen has been recognised at the Public Sector Transformation Awards.

“The system has played an integral part in the effective management of the county’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic.”

Prior to the development of the Nimrod system, spreadsheets were used to keep track of outbreaks across Herefordshire and Worcestershire, but it soon became clear to those at the heart of recording outbreaks, that this would only work temporarily, and a more robust long-term solution was required.

Nimrod is now an integral part in the day-to-day management of COVID-19 outbreaks and situations across Herefordshire and Worcestershire. 

Further development is planned to widen the scope of Nimrod to infectious diseases beyond COVID-19.