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News and Views

Keep up to date with our latest news and blogs. 

  • Better use of analysis
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  • (-) Steven Wyatt
16/09/2026
News

Despair now accounts for one-sixth of all years of life lost

Deaths from drug misuse, alcohol use and suicide, often referred to as deaths of despair, are on the rise.  New research, by the Strategy Unit and the Health Foundation, show how deaths rates vary by sex and socio-economic deprivation, and how these rates changed during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

**Alt text:** Line chart showing casemix-adjusted odds of admission from April 2025 to January 2026. Values fluctuate around 0.9–1.15 from April to August, then rise sharply from September and remain mostly between 1.2 and 1.5. The series peaks at approximately 1.56 in January 2026. Dashed horizontal lines show reference and control limits for the earlier and later periods. 19/08/2026
News

Tracking Hospital Admission Thresholds Within Emergency Departments: A Feasibility Study

This new analysis explores the concept of hospital admission thresholds and assesses the feasibility of tracking these thresholds within emergency departments.

Emergency room entrance sign in a street outside of a hospital 12/08/2026
News

Emergency Departments worked better during the strikes. But why?

New research published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine explores why emergency departments worked better during strikes.

emergency fire exit sign hanging from the ceiling 11/05/2026
News

Discharge before noon

Can data on discharge times help us to improve hospital flow?

Blue rectangular sign mounted on a brick wall, with a large white left-pointing arrow above the white text ‘your local GP Surgery’ 25/03/2026
News

Big GP practices: light work or spoilt broth?

Larger GP practices may deliver more appointments, but are they the most efficient way to provide good care?

Overhead view of a busy city intersection with wide white zebra crosswalks filled with dozens of pedestrians walking in different directions across the asphalt. People carry bags and backpacks, and some pull rolling suitcases, creating a dynamic crisscross pattern against the bold striped crossings. 13/02/2026
News

A journey into intersectionality

A practical exploration of intersectionality, testing theory through quantitative analysis of hospital readmissions.

26/09/2025
News

The decline in care continuity is not inevitable

Relational continuity of care, the extent to which patients have an ongoing relationship with a specific clinician in their GP practice, is perhaps

18/04/2024
News

Need, demand, and supply of GP services: an old lens on an ever-present problem

About 20 years ago, I attended a lecture given by Andrew Stevens, a rather formidable and austere Professor of Public Health at the Un

26/03/2024
News

Part-time GPs and the decline in continuity of care: a cause or a symptom?

In our recent paper we explore why levels of care continuity have been declining and what might be done to turn things around.

19/03/2024
News

Two sides of the same coin

Hospital demand arising from GPs not seeing patients, is eating into the resources that they would use to manage down the elective backlog. In turn, this is creating more demand for GPs.

12/03/2024
News

Are GP consultation rates rising or falling? Who or what should we believe?

If the "data suggests" GP appointments are substantially higher than pre-pandemic, then what is behind patients reporting recieving fewer appointments?

04/03/2024
News

GP services: new analysis and fresh insights

In our latest analysis for the Midlands Decision Support Network (MDSN), we explore the long standing problem of access to GP practice consultations we consider the implications, and explore potential solutions.

Strategy Unit and The Health Foundation logos 07/11/2023
News

A collaborative partnership with the Health Foundation

The Strategy Unit is collaborating with the Health Foundation to help address key health and social care issues by combining our expertise in data analysis.

People profile heads in dialogue. Vector background. 05/01/2023
News
Better use of analysis

Analysts, we need to talk about…….

The future looks incredibly promising for ana

Insight 2022 Day 4 Analytics 24/11/2022
News

Insight 2022 - Day 4 - The future of healthcare analytics

The future of healthcare analytics.

26/07/2022
News
Complex Modelling | Elective care | Inequalities

Inequalities in access to healthcare - what’s our next move?

Our research, published in the Lancet Regional Health Europe, highlights substantial inequities in access to elective hip replacement surgery. We found no evidence that these inequities reduced between 2006 and 2016.

01/07/2022
News

Blog: Strategies to reduce inequalities in planned care

MDSN responds to recent reports addressing the NHS waiting list crisis

09/05/2022
News
Elective care | Inequalities

Strategies to reduce inequalities in access to planned hospital procedures

UPDATE 10th August: Now including briefing note for Integrated Care Boards on legal duties in respect of reducing inequalities. This report guides ICBs through the process.

15/10/2021
News
Better use of analysis | Comparative Analysis | Elective care | Finance and payments | Problem Structuring

Strategy Unit devises a new method for classifying outpatient appointments

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

10/02/2021
News
Elective care | Evaluation and impact assessment | Primary, community and social care services

Some positive news for integrating GP practices with hospital trusts

The drive for greater integration of health and care services has been the central theme of UK health policy for most of

Pagination

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