We don’t just need to hear ‘you are more affected’ - what’s the action?

The experience of minority ethnic people symptomatic for COVID-19 in the first UK wave of the pandemic.

What do we know about the benefits of digital social care records?

The pace of change in the development and use of digital technology is astonishing. The use of such technology has been an essential element in the health and care services response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In many cases, the previously unthinkable became commonplace.

Treating people on waiting lists: who decides what is fair?

Waiting lists for elective care are in the news. The national plan has been issued, with the expectation that lists will continue to rise for some years - and that long waiting will not disappear anytime soon. Addressing this ‘backlog’ will remain a fundamental challenge for some time to come.

Decision makers can make much better use of analysis

Part of the Strategy Unit mission is to improve the use of analysis in decision making. Current use is, to employ a euphemism, variable.

PHM ExploreR

NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire CCG presenting PHM ExploreR which is an open source tool for Population Health M

Evaluation of Building the Right Support: Final Reports

Building the Right Support was a national plan to provide better support to people with a learning disability or autism.

The Intellectual Forum: a source of fresh perspectives on decision making  

The literature on decision making is like a disaster movie highlights reel. Barely has one calamity registered before another serious misstep takes its place. Case study after case study flashes past, each with its own lessons and warnings.  

Insight 2021

The Midlands Decision Support Network in association with The Strategy Unit hosted INSIGHT 2021 our annual festival of learning and sharing events for the NHS, local government and other partners across health and care (4th – 15th October).

Advancing the analytical capability of the NHS and its ICS partners

The Strategy Unit were asked by the Strategy and Development Team in the Directorate of the Chief Data and Analytics Officer, NHSE/I, to make recommendations for advancing analytical capability across the health and care workforce.

Securing the future of domiciliary care

The Strategy Unit is embarking on an exciting project with WM ADASS, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Care Services in the West Midlands to explore the challenges facing domiciliary care and the opportunities that exist to transform and improve the service.

Estimating the impact of the proposed reforms to the Mental Health Act on the workload of psychiatrists

In January 2021, the Government published a White Paper, setting out its plans to reform the Mental Health Act.

INSIGHT 2021: Insight to action - lessons from think tanks

The Midlands Decision Support Network exists to support health and care leaders generate insights from high quality analysis and evalu

Strategy Unit devises a new method for classifying outpatient appointments

The number of outpatient attendances in England is now approaching 100 million each year.

A new resource to support analysis of outpatient services: Classifying activity by function

INSIGHT 2021: Misinformation and how do we tackle it?

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s director-general, famously said in the early days of the COVID pandemic: “We’re not just fightin

INSIGHT 2021: Insight to Action. How can we change behaviour?

So we’ve gathered all the data and evidence, we understand the problem and we know what we think the best solution is…so how do we act

INSIGHT 2021: Data for the head, stories for the heart

Death is certain, yet our planning doesn’t reflect this.

INSIGHT 2021: Data for the head, stories for the heart

Death is certain, yet our planning doesn’t reflect this.

INSIGHT 2021: Reducing health inequalities - the practical & ethical challenges

This session debated the ethical challenges around addressing health inequalities.