Blog post
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.
Blog post
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**
Blog post
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.
Blog post
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
Blog post Better use of analysis | Problem Structuring
Part of the solution or part of the problem? Management Consultants and the NHS
I was quoted in a recent Guardian newspaper article which described a London Clinical Commissioning Group’s wasteful use of external
Blog post
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
Blog post
Do you like to integrate horizontally or vertically? NHS positions examined
Our latest research paper explores the impact of the different options for integration implemented as a result of the Transforming Community Services policy in 2010. This accompanying commentary reflects on potential implications for the current policy drive towards Integrated Care Systems.
Blog post
What works for primary care led integration?
We recently shared highlights from our realist synthesis on primary care-led integrated models, at the Health Policy and Planning Network workshop. Take a look at our presentation for a flavour of our findings ahead of publication later in the summer.
Case study
Understanding future maternity demand and activity using collaborative modelling methods
The Strategy Unit approach to demand and activity modelling has been developed, refined and extensively tested over many years in a variety of heal
Blog post
HSJ Article - Why are A&Es feeling the strain?
Article published by HSJ on 3rd November 2017.
Blog post
A&E waiting times are longer – but that’s not all bad news
The country’s major accident and emergency (A&E) departments are struggling more than ever before to see patients within the government target of four hours – but that is not all bad news.
Blog post Comparative Analysis | Mental health
Making the Case for integrating mental and physical health care
The Strategy Unit was commissioned by NHS England to provide tailored reports to each of the Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships in England.
Blog post Evidence Reviews | Primary, community and social care services | Problem Structuring
Can a new model of integrated care improve resilience?
The Strategy Unit has recently completed a £116,000 research project that will inform the development of new care models central to the NHS Fi
Blog post
Innovation In Dudley: The Enabling Practice To Improve And Change Programme (Epic)
The Strategy Unit has been working with GP practices in Dudley for the last three years to support service improvement in Primary Care.