Have cuts to public spending on social care for older people led to more emergency hospital admissions?

Cuts to council social care budgets are often cited as a cause of pressure on NHS urgent and emergency care services. Much of the evidence supporting this link, however, is anecdotal. We set out to try and quantify the effect of cuts to social care on older people’s use of emergency healthcare services, and our research has just been published in BMJ Open.

Living with diabetes is a mind game - Colette Marshall, Diabetes UK

As we continue our series of viewpoints on the physical and clinical mental health divide, Colette Marshall, Director of Operations at Diabetes UK brings the perspective of those living with a chronic health condition.

The body keeps the score (do we?)

In this fifth guest blog, in our series of viewpoints on the physical and clinical mental health divide, Dr Paul Turner, General Practitioner at Karis Medical Centre, Birmingham and Joint Clinical Director for Mental Health, NHSE West Midlands Clinical Network describes the cost of untreated complexity.

Time to act for sex and gender parity in health and care

On International Womens Day 2019, Abeda Mulla from the Strategy Unit reflects on our gendered society that has led to poorer health outcomes in women.

Emerging from the silos: how the NHS can support economic growth

The Strategy Unit has been leading the way on supporting local NHS bodies to consider the wider economic impact of how they operate. Here, David Frith highlights what a shift this is for the NHS, along with the range of opportunities NHS bodies should consider exploring.

They don’t believe you

Continuing our mental and physical health guest blog series, Sophie Corlett the Director of External Relations at Mind provides some perspectives from people with physical ailments who are users of mental health services.

Mind and body: inseparable twins

Jennifer Dixon, Chief Executive of the Health Foundation, reflects on the relationship between mental and physical health and the need for better integration of care.

Let’s face the music and (not) dance

David Frith leads our strategy consultancy work with NHS and third sector organisations.

Why community alternatives to hospital admission don’t (typically) reduce total admission levels

Repeatedly, published evaluations show that community/primary care services interventions with a stated intention to reduce total (or forecast total) emergency admissions to hospital don’t achieve the expected result**

Innovation and evaluation – a proposition for change, an offer of support

Health and care services in England are labouring under a chronic state of stress – where for many organisations, ‘just about coping’ has become the new normal.

Painful conversations. A GP perspective on chronic pain.

Dr Paul Roberts, Director of the North Staffordshire GP Federation provides a GP perspective in his contribution to the Strategy Unit’

Simple tools for improving healthcare - Tool 3: The naïve question

This is the third in our short series of blogs on ‘simple tools for improving healthcare’.

Simple tools for improving healthcare - Tool 2: A clear theory of change

At heart, the Strategy Unit has a very simple belief.

Humans and system: challenging the false dichotomy between mental and physical health - Dr Hilary Grant

Warp and weft – recognising that physical and mental health are interwoven - By Professor Sir Muir Gray

On World Mental Health Day, we’re delighted to present a guest blog by Professor Sir Muir Gray, the first in a new series of commi

New Perspectives on the Perennial Problem of Urgent Care

Waiting times in A&E are never far from the headlines.   It threatens to become the defining healthcare performance issue of our time, much lik

Integrating health and care services - what works? It’s complicated…

Coinciding nicely with the NHS 70th Birthday celebrations and the parallel discussions of ‘where next and how to do it better’ for the NHS, last we

Mental Health and integration: Cinderella or the Ugly Sisters?

Introduction

If I hadn't have run, I would have missed the bus

There are many of lessons we can learn from Accountable Care Organisations when thinking about ICS contracts says Paul Taylor.