Playing our part in conversations about death

“Dad, why are all your ‘peptalks’ about death?” Children can be a source of fundamental insight. They seem to specialise in feedback of the unvarnished, unmediated and fully caffeinated variety. The kind of feedback that cuts straight to it. My youngest daughter, mid-way through our sunny walk down the hill to school, pressed on: “And you wear black all the time. You look like a crow…” Fundamental insight, and now fashion advice. This was quite the school run.

Ghosted by an old friend

“…personal contact was a vital element in general practice from the beginning. By 1959 50% of people in England regarded their GP as a personal friend.”

How data makes things worse

All light brings shade. My list of ‘changes that have been all upside and no downside’ is short and debatable.

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.

Decision Making Blog #8: Infinity-shaped debate

I’m argumentative.

Decision Making Blog #7: Should we 'go with the gut'? Yes, but...

I’m not sure there’s a superlative strong enough to describe ‘T

Decision Making Blog #6: The most powerful question in decision making?

I’m a fan of Shane Parrish and his organisation Farnam Street (strapline: ‘Helping you master the best of

Decision Making Blog #5: Reaching disagreement

Two starting points:  

Decision Making Blog #4: Embrace uncertainty - it's a badge of honour

Imagine this: 

Decision Making Blog #3: The black hole of the status quo

Learning is one of the joys of teaching. And I’ve learnt a lot while helping people develop their decision making skills.

Decision Making Blog #2: Two under-appreciated sources of leadership power

Some forms of leaders’ power are obvious. Leaders hire and they fire.

Decision Making Blog #1: Better decision making: a neglected route to improvement?

There are two main routes for health and care services to improve the health of the populations they serve. The

Decision making - a series of blogs on decision quality

Helping ICSs to reduce inequalities in access to planned care

Are there inequalities in access to planned care? If so, what are they? Which groups ‘gain’ and which groups suffer? And what could be done to address any inequalities? In pursuing their objective of reducing inequalities, what could Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) do? What strategies and approaches are likely to be successful?

Blog: Strategies to reduce inequalities in planned care

MDSN responds to recent reports addressing the NHS waiting list crisis

‘Might’ is right

A good idea can be ruined by over-selling.

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.

We saw them before they were famous: reflections on AphA’s away day

In June 1976, the Sex Pistols played Manchester's Lesser Free Trade Hall.

Appointing an ICS ‘Chief Analyst’

The Strategy Unit has, over the last ten years, developed a way of working that has allowed us to become recognised as a leading analytical organisation in the NHS.