We place a high value on sharing our work – here, you’ll find some examples of reports and other project outputs which demonstrate the work we do.  If you’re interested in topics which aren’t listed here, please get in touch.

 November 2020 Mental health services

Mental Health Surge Model

Early in the Covid pandemic, it became clear that people’s mental health would suffer. Whether through bereavement, unemployment, social isolation, not being able to access support services – or a host of other routes – an alarming picture began to emerge and attract attention. The detail of this…

April 2020 Service improvement

Outcomes based commissioning: A framework for local decision making

This local decision-making framework aims to empower systems as they look to design new contracting approaches aimed at improving outcomes.

 October 2018 Mental health services | Service improvement

Evaluation of an Integrated Mental Health Liaison Service (Rapid Assessment Interface and Discharge Service) in Northern Ireland

A high proportion of patients treated for physical health conditions also have co-morbid mental health problems; and there is growing acceptance of a need to raise awareness of mental health issues in acute hospitals and improve the experience of care and treatment for this group.

 October 2018 Integrated Care

The Status of Electronic Palliative Care Coordination Systems in the West Midlands

Commissioned by NHS England, this report describes the state of electronic palliative care coordination systems in the West Midlands.  It draws on a review of the literature, interviews with local NHS staff and responses to information requests.  As people approach the end of their lives, care…

October 2018 Service improvement

Lessons from the Vanguard: Innovation and Evaluation

The problems facing health and care services are so well known as to be documented in the media most days. These problems arise from a mismatch between need and provision: a mismatch where there is no reason to assume fundamental change. So innovation – in both product and process – is needed. Yet…

October 2018 Service improvement

Making a priority of mental health and wellbeing in Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire has been an early mover in the transition from Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STP) to Integrated Care Systems (ICS) within the NHS in England. As part of that transition, it made a conscious commitment to prioritise the transformation of mental health and wellbeing…

September 2018 Service improvement

Lessons from the Vanguard: Procurement

Dudley was unique within the New Care Models programme for using a large-scale procurement exercise. This exercise therefore offers lessons for both policy and practice. These lessons are set out in a short ‘lessons from the vanguard’ paper, joint-authored by the Strategy Unit and Dudley Clinical…

 September 2018 Service improvement

Intelligence-driven health and care: phase two

Following on from the Design Summit in May, the Strategy Unit has continued to work on how Intelligence-driven health and care can improve outcomes for patients and local communities. The project, commissioned by MLCSU, aims to explore the emerging intelligence needs of the health and care sector…

September 2018 Service improvement

Evaluation of the Dudley New Care Models Programme

The Strategy Unit led the evaluation of the Dudley Vanguard programme. This is the final system-wide report from that work. It draws on in-depth interviews with over 20 strategic level stakeholders from the Dudley system. The report looks at both the large-scale procurement process and the…

 July 2018 Mental health services

Making the case for integrating physical and mental health services in England - National overview

This is a national overview report of our Making the case for integrating physical and mental health services reporting which took place in July 2017.  The original reports looked at the physical health of people who use mental health services; life expectancy, acute hospital use and opportunities…

 June 2018 Secondary care

Risk and Reward Sharing for NHS Integrated Care Systems

Risk and reward sharing is a simple and attractive concept, offering a commissioner the opportunity to co-opt and incentivise a provider to moderate growth in healthcare demand by sharing in the savings or cost over-runs.  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a US government agency…

 December 2017 Service configuration | Service improvement | Integrated Care

Scoping study: the economics of caring

There is a clear moral case for supporting unpaid carers. They play an essential role in the lives of the people they care for; they often do so at a cost to their own wellbeing.  But what is the economic case for supporting carers? And to what extent does the evidence base support this case? Where…

December 2017 Service improvement | Integrated Care

Evaluation and complex change

  Feedback is a vital component of any complex change programme. Without feedback, it is impossible for policy makers, programme and frontline teams to learn, adapt and improve. The Strategy Unit therefore sees evaluation as a vital part of the mix in making large-scale change. Evaluation is all…

 November 2017 Service improvement | Integrated Care

Logic Models for Complex Programmes

Logic models have become a standard tool for planning and evaluation. This short presentation offers a step-by-step guide to assembling logic models for complex programmes. The Strategy Unit is well known for its use of logic models. We use them to help programmes and organisations – including…

 July 2017 Secondary care

Scoping the Strategic Analytical Requirements for Clinical Neurosciences in England

Neurosciences encompasses a large number of services and interventions, delivered to individuals with a wide range of conditions by numerous providers in many settings. Describing the full range of patients, interventions and services will provide those who work in and support NHS commissioned…

July 2017 Impact assessment

Economic impact of NHS spending in the Black Country - Full Version

The Strategy Unit is a strategic partner to the Black Country and West Birmingham Sustainability and Transformation Partnership. Our innovative work has built on the local appetite for focusing on transformations that can make a real different to local populations. As well as our national work for…

 November 2016 Service configuration

Future Fit - acute hospitals options appraisal

The Strategy Unit worked as a strategic partner of the NHS Future Fit Programme in Shropshire and Telford  & Wrekin from its initiation and until it was able to move to public consultation. A key output was the comprehensive appraisal of acute hospital options, the recommendations from which…

November 2016 Impact assessment | Service configuration | Service improvement

Integrated Impact Assessment for Major Hospital Reconfiguration

The Strategy Unit worked as a strategic partner of the NHS Future Fit Programme in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin from its initiation and until it was able to move to public consultation. A key output was a comprehensive Integrated Impact Assessment of acute hospital options that enabled…

September 2015 Capacity and Demand

Scoping the Future (CRUK)

Within the context of rising demand for diagnostic services and concerns about capacity, Cancer Research UK commissioned this project to explore the issues for endoscopy services, to inform national strategic recommendations.

June 2015 Secondary care

Using logic models in evaluation

Logic models are increasingly being used to support the design and evaluation of complex change in the NHS. This briefing provides a brief introduction to logic models and how they can be used to support evaluation of change.