Diagnosing harms?

All medicines are poisons. Everything that cures could kill if administered in the wrong doses, to the wrong people, at the wrong times, in the wrong ways.

Could a peer review methodology help drive continual learning within and across local systems?

In this blog Karen describes how peer review methodologies are being used to support learning in Long COVID services.

Urgent Community Response – What Works?

The Strategy Unit, with our partners Ipsos, has been commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI) to provide a long-term national evaluation of the Urgent Community Response programme rolled-out across England. The programme aims to shift resources to home and community-based services as part of the NHS commitment to providing the right care, to the right people, at the right time. And there are a range of outputs from the early work that provide learning for local systems as they develop their services.

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.  

Infant feeding problems, lockdown and attendance at Emergency Departments: what’s going on?

From our previous work, with Nuffield Trust and Health Foundation, we know that lockdown had a significant effect on attendance at Emergency Departments (ED). We also know that this effect was very unevenly distributed: some demographic groups stayed away far more than others.

Learning the lessons of Long Covid in real time

Round table event, 12 July

Localism and the NHS: a case in four stories

In this blog, Fraser Battye makes the case for localism in the NHS. He tells four short stories. He suggests that these stories highlight an opportunity as the NHS enters a period of reform.  

Is ‘Integrating Care’ bold enough?

In this blog, Fraser Battye leaves the Strategy Unit’s usual careful and empirical view of the world. He reflects on NHS England and Improvement’s ‘Integrating Care’ paper from the perspective of wider ideological and societal trends. In doing so, he suggests that there is scope for bolder reform – and that localism is the way to go.

What might ‘Integrating Care’ mean for analysts?

In this blog, Fraser Battye looks at NHS England/Improvement’s ‘Integrating Care’ paper. While not looking forward to another NHS re-organisation, he sees a lot that analysts will like. Fraser also notes the potential advantage that the Decision Support Unit model gives systems in the Midlands. What can analysts do to seize these opportunities?

Making sense of evidence

It's time to celebrate World Evidence-Based Healthcare (EBHC)  Day.  In a world dominated by COVID-19 and the associated infodemic, this day arguably has more resonance. Closer to home, EBHC Day also coincides with our Insight 2020 festival and the launch of the Midlands Decision Support network.  What better opportunity to ask, 'what does evidence-informed decision making actually mean'?

Measuring what matters in systems – A call for person-centred intelligence

The Strategy Unit and Ipsos MORI launch guide to implementing Person-Centred Intelligence.

Population Health Management support

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.

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.

Brief reflections on Dudley's journey as a Vanguard

With the end of the New Care Models programme there is an opportunity to reflect on what has been learnt at local level.

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

Intelligence-driven healthcare: what should the future look like?

Find out about our recent summit on intelligence to drive improvement in healthcare and comment on our working design principles.

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.