News
Strategy Unit demand model wins prestigious Florence Nightingale Award
Our open-source demand model, developed in collaboration with the New Hospital Programme, has been named the 2025 winner of the Florence Nightingale Award for Excellence in Health ...
Blog post, Long read
What explains the recent growth in hospital activity?
In this long read, Fraser Battye describes our analysis of what has driven the growth in hospital activity. The answer is perhaps surprising.
Blog post
A journey into intersectionality
A practical exploration of intersectionality, testing theory through quantitative analysis of hospital readmissions.
Blog post
The enduring ‘messy programme’ with ‘mixed results’
The diagram below shows me at my most cynical.
Blog post
Planning for rising renal demand: simulating capacity across the care system
Demand for kidney replacement therapy is rising, and current capacity will not be sufficient over the next decade. This work uses simulation modelling to help systems understand fu...
Blog post
From Ethical AI to NHS Modelling: Insights from our data science internship
The Strategy Unit is proud to support early-career analysts that help widen access to data science and strengthen diversity in the field.
Meet the Team
View All
Peter Spilsbury
Director of The Strategy Unit
Peter has worked in the NHS for nearly 40 years. In that time, he has held Director positions in provider, commissioning and strategic NHS…
Abeda Mulla
Managing Consultant
Abeda started her career in medical research. She gained a PhD from Imperial College London in Neuroendocrinology. She then moved on to medical…
Alison Turner
Head of Knowledge Mobilisation
Alison brings 30 years’ experience supporting evidence-informed decision making. She actively engages in professional networks and has contributed…
Andrew Jones
Senior Healthcare Analyst
Andrew has worked for the Strategy Unit since 2015, covering both research and education. His recent project work includes:
Analysing opportunities…
Andy Hood
Analytics Manager
Andy has an academic and practical background in public health, having worked in the NHS in analytical and intelligence roles for 17 years. …
David Frith
Head of Unit Management and Development
David has worked in the NHS since 2008, including roles in commissioning, major programme management and strategic planning in the acute sector. He…
Deborah Mabbley
Senior Business Manager
Deborah has 23 years’ experience within the NHS in business management, customer service and administration. She has excellent organisational and…
Fraser Battye
Head of Policy
Fraser has over 25 years of experience as a policy analyst and advisor. He has worked on topics as diverse as neighbourhood renewal, end of life care…
Jake Parsons
Analytics Manager
Before joining the NHS, Jake worked as a senior performance analyst in a large social services department. He has also worked as an auditor and…
James de Lacy
Senior Consultant
James has worked in the NHS for almost 10 years and has considerable experience in strategic consultancy projects.
His recent Strategy Unit…
Jon Cook
Coaching Consultant
Jon has over 25 years experience working for the NHS and has worked at all tiers in the NHS, gaining a national perspective whilst working for the…
Justine Wiltshire
Head of Analytics and Modelling
Justine has over 20 years’ experience in healthcare analysis. In that time, she has worked across different parts of the NHS - acute providers and…
Karen Bradley
Principal Consultant
Karen is a highly experienced leader of change providing strategic consultancy and complex improvement services. She has had an eclectic career…
Lorna Crofts
Business Manager
Lorna hold a Masters in Business Administration and has 14 years’ experience working within the NHS. This has seen her work across commissioner,…
Mahmoda Begum
Senior Consultant
Mahmoda has over 15 years’ experience working in the health and wellbeing sector. She has worked in community, commercial and public sector…
Mike Woodall
Analytics Manager
Mike has over 25 years’ experience in analytical roles across the health and care sector. He has worked on projects within commissioning, acute,…
Paul Seamer
Analytics Manager
Paul has many years’ experience of leading research and analytical projects across health, local government, and the wider public sector. Before…
Shiona Aldridge
Managing Consultant
Shiona draws on over 10 years’ experience working in the NHS. Prior to this, she worked as a data analyst in the corporate sector, supporting an NHS…
Steven Wyatt
Head of Research and Policy
Steven has 20 years’ experience leading and managing analytical services in the health and social care sector. He has broad, practical experience of…
David Callaghan
Managing Consultant
David has a particular interest in issues around public health, social care and workforce development. He draws on 15 years’ experience in the…
Simon Bourne
Principal Consultant
Simon leads the Strategy Unit partnership with the New Hospital Programme - he is a member of the programme's senior leadership team and oversees…
Richard Ward
Consultant
Richard has broad experience of evidence review and evaluation projects. This includes:
An evidence map on inequities in access to mental…
Zaheera Teladia
Senior Consultant
Zaheera has an undergraduate degree in Social Sciences with Social Policy and a Master’s in Public Health. She has extensive experience of working on…
Mohammed Amin Mohammed
Head of Innovations and Academic Partnerships
Mohammed’s recent work at the Strategy Unit includes:
Technical director to the AI evaluation with NHSX providing methodological advice in respect…
Stewart Loughlin
Head of Business Management
With over 20 years working in the public and private sectors, Stewart has gained deep experience in education, care and technology. His previous…
Thomas Jemmett
Senior Healthcare Analyst
Tom has over a decade of experience working in analytical roles within the NHS – including in acute provider trusts in the West Midlands. He has…
Alexander Lawless
Senior Analyst
Alexander’s background is varied and wide ranging. He has worked as a hospital staff nurse and a local authority analyst. He also has a Master’s in…
Rachel Caswell
Senior Healthcare Analyst
Rachel has over 20 years’ analytical, project management and leadership experience in NHS and local government organisations. She has a master’s…
Paul Mason
Head of Evaluation
Paul has 23 years’ experience in applied research and evaluation spanning a career in universities and private sector consultancy before joining the…
Bethany Mitchell
Senior Consultant
Before joining the Strategy Unit, Bethany completed a Masters in Public Health. She also worked as a researcher for a medical education company.…
Ellie Jones
Senior Consultant
Ellie has a background in population health, with a special interest in health inequalities and inequities in access to health and care services. She…
Jane Greenstock
Senior Consultant
Jane has over ten years’ experience of health and social-care research and evaluation, gained in the voluntary, commercial and public sectors.…
Ozayr Mohammed
Healthcare Analyst
Ozayr’s recent work has involved exploring the effects of new housing developments on demand for primary care and developing this is into a ‘Shiny’…
Sarah Gilliland
Business Manager
With a strong background in business administration, Sarah has years of experience in client care, finance support, and performance management.…
Charlotte Henderson
Business Manager
Prior to joining the Strategy Unit, Charlotte worked for the NHS Quality Review Service. There she supported programmes of work to help services…
Romaana Kapadi
Consultant
Before joining The Strategy Unit, Romaana worked collaboratively with a range of stakeholders on numerous clinical research projects in both higher…
Sheila Ali
Consultant
Sheila has extensive research experience in both the NHS and academic contexts, working with quantitative and qualitative data on various different…
Natasha Stephenson
Consultant
Natasha has a master’s in health psychology and has 10 years of experience working in the community as a Healthy Lifestyle Practitioner, supporting…
Marya Mobeen
Consultant
Marya completed a master’s degree in Health Psychology at Aston University. During this time, she developed a theory and evidence-informed…
Jon Cook
Coaching Consultant
Jon has over 25 years experience working for the NHS and has worked at all tiers in the NHS, gaining a national perspective whilst working for the…
James Sandy
Senior Consultant
James has worked extensively across local government, clinical commissioning, the voluntary sector, and professional bodies leading policy, research…
Jacqueline Grout
Senior Healthcare Analyst
Jacqueline has 10 years of experience working in analytical roles within the NHS primarily in an integrated care provider trust in Greater Manchester…
Sally Thompson
Senior Healthcare Analyst
Prior to joining the Strategy Unit, Sally provided analytical support to Health & Social Care Partnerships and GP clusters in Scotland. She has…
Craig Parylo
Senior Healthcare Analyst
Craig previously provided business information management for a Community and Mental Health Trust where he delivered insight into the quality of care…
Sarah Lucas
Healthcare Analyst
Sarah has a PhD in neuroscience and over 15 years’ experience in academic research. Prior to joining the Strategy Unit, she worked on a variety of ‘…
Fikriyudin Mufasir
Healthcare Analyst
Prior to joining the Strategy Unit, Fikriyudin provided data visualization and analytical support for an integrated fisheries commerce company. He…
Clare Humble
Managing Consultant
Clare has led on projects which include:
The development and leadership of intelligence and research functions
The creation, application and…
Chris Beeley
Head of Data Science
Chris has led on the collection, collation, and analysis of patient experience in previous roles, and his team are currently working on a project to…
Caileigh Solomenca
Business Manager
Caileigh has over 5 years experience as a Project Co-ordinator supporting the management of projects and workshops. She has developed her skills in…
Zoë Turner
Senior Data Scientist
Zoë has developed and delivered training in Introduction to R and R Studio, Train the Trainer and RMarkdown supporting hundreds of colleagues from…
Sam Callanan
Senior Consultant
Sam has over ten years of experience as a researcher and evaluator in the voluntary sector and for local and national government. He has led, managed…
Katie Spanjers
Senior Consultant
Having started her career as a clinician in the NHS, Katie has gone on to gain experience in undertaking and manging evaluation in academia and…
Maciej Waszak-Hayes
Business Manager
Maciej has over 8 years’ experience working in NHS in learning and development. He also developed his skills in organising and coordinating events…
Mark Thompson
Managing Consultant
Mark has been instrumental in the strategic transformation of homelessness services bringing 7 funding bodies and an Alliance of 6 providers together…
Jennifer Wood
Managing Consultant
Jenny has 15 years of experience in social research and analysis in organisations. Recently, she has focussed on consultancy, working on a range of…
Josh Cook
Consultant
Prior to joining the Strategy Unit, Josh worked in a variety of education roles predominantly supporting young people with special educational needs…
Gareth Hooper
Analytics Manager
Gareth has over 20 years' experience in Local Government and the NHS in both delivering and commissioning services as well as carrying out…
Matt Dray
Senior Data Scientist
Matt worked for nearly a decade as a data specialist in five central-government departments, including the Cabinet Office and Government Digital…
Jonathan Spencer
Senior Analyst
Jonathan previously worked for the Nuffield Trust, and as a researcher in health economics at Kings College London. At the Nuffield Trust, he was a…
YiWen Hon
Data Scientist
YiWen has over 10 years’ experience in information management in the higher education and healthcare sectors. Since switching careers into data…
Kathryn Rogers
Consultant
Kathryn brings to the Strategy Unit over twenty years’ experience in charity management, where she has worked across local and national charities,…
André Castro Bilbrough
Healthcare Analyst
André previously worked for a Third Sector organisation who conducted evaluations across the health and social care spaces. This included leading the…
Anya Ferguson
Healthcare Analyst
Anya previously worked with an NHS Trust completing routine reports and projects such as developing a new Performance Reporting framework. There she…
Andriana Vinnitchok
Senior Consultant
Andriana is an experienced public sector consultant, project manager and mixed-methods researcher, specialising in qualitative research and theory-…
Rhian Davies
Senior Data Scientist
Prior to joining The Strategy Unit, Rhian worked as a data science consultant, specialising in R development and training. She is a highly rated…
Katie Davies
Consultant
Katie completed her undergraduate study in Sociology from the University of Bath. Following the completion of her undergraduate degree, she pursued a…
Elaine Jenner-Pescador
Project Support Officer
Elaine has over 10 years’ experience of working in the NHS for different NHS Trusts and Clinical Commissioning Groups.
Prior to this she worked in…
Claire Welsh
Lead Data Scientist
Claire has a decade of experience of frontline clinical veterinary medicine, and another in health data science and analysis for academia and policy…
Lucy Morgan
Analytics Manager (Simulation)
Lucy has worked across industry and academia at using simulation for problem solving. Prior to joining The Strategy Unit, Lucy worked as a research…
Dechante Johnson
Dechante has experience working in both healthcare, policy and academic settings, applying her research expertise to real-word challenges. She has…
Hoi Ying Cheng
Research Assistant
During her time at the University of Bath, Hoi Ying contributed to academic research and supported ongoing studies within the Department of…
Eirini Komninou
Senior Data Scientist
Eirini has a proven track record applying Artificial Intelligence in both dynamic startup environments and the demanding field of Space Engineering.…
Francis Barton
Data Scientist
Before joining the Strategy Unit, Francis worked as a data analyst specialising in maternity services at an acute NHS Trust, after several years…