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Clean empty bed in a hospital ,Patient bed in hospital,Empty hospital bed
Blog post 03/08/2026

The hidden challenge at the heart of the 10-year plan

A new tool exploring why hospital bed pressure is increasing and what this could mean for future NHS capacity planning.

red and blue ribbon twirls
10/06/2026

Improving perioperative flow: using simulation to understand elective care pathways

Why are operations still being cancelled on the day of surgery, despite long waiting lists and high demand? The answer often lies not in a single point of failure, but in how the perioperative pathway functions as a whole.

A digitally illustrated, isometric view of an impossible staircase labyrinth inspired by M.C. Escher, rendered in a painterly style. Stone staircases loop and intersect in paradoxical, gravity-defying configurations within a deep stone structure. Several small human figures in colourful clothing are scattered across the staircases, appearing to walk in different directions. Vines and small plants grow along the upper edges of the walls, and the overall co
Blog post 14/05/2026

Failure demand as a route to success?

When we began looking at failure demand in the NHS, I assumed most of our time would be spent in familiar territory: productivity metr

Dr Lucy Morgan smiling in front of a board of mathematical equations. Text reads “Inside the Algorithm with Dr Lucy Morgan, live 6th May"
News 05/05/2026

Why NHS models should be built to be reused

Our Head of Simulation, Dr Lucy Morgan, recently appeared on the new podcast Inside the Algorithm, hosted by Cambridg

Long read 06/03/2026

Discharged without a diagnosis

In 2023/24, one million people who were admitted to an NHS hospital in an emergency, were later discharged without a diagnosis. This long-read examines what this means for patients and providers.

picture of kidneys in a persons bare hands
Blog post 09/01/2026

Planning for rising renal demand: simulating capacity across the care system

Demand for kidney replacement therapy is rising, and current capacity will not be sufficient over the next decade. This work uses simulation modelling to help systems understand future pressures and test potential responses.

4 people queing in a medical clinic
Blog post 12/11/2025

Beating the backlog: Meeting the waiting list challenge

The NHS waiting list in England must halve to reach waiting time targets.

watch the gap written on the edge of a train line
Blog post 25/09/2025

Expectations: The hidden driver of healthcare demand

How well do we understand changing expectations and implications for the NHS?

white greek naked statue sitting on white chair
Blog post 21/06/2023

What’s philosophy got to do with evidence reviews?

Ever wondered how to make better use of evidence in decision-making? Follow our latest blog series to find out more about how our Evidence and Knowledge Mobilisation team can help you to make sense of and use evidence from research and practice.

Long Covid
Blog post 21/04/2023

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.

Hospital emergency department with ambulance
Report 30/01/2023

Emergency department acuity measurement and process: quick scoping review​

​​This review was commissioned to inform NHS England’s Acuity Standardisation Project which aims to agree a standardised method of allocating acuity category (a triage method) for Emergency Departments (EDs) and Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs). ​

Jonathan Breckon
06/10/2021

INSIGHT 2021: Insight to Action. What Works?

It has been estimated that it can take up to 17 years to translate evidence into practice – how can we change that?

Female support worker wearing white scrubs with arm around elderly patient walking to a seating area
11/06/2021

Learning the lessons of Long Covid in real time

Round table event, 12 July

messy letters
Blog post 19/10/2020

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'?

Principles of integrated care
Report 01/02/2019

New care models - what's the evidence

High level findings from a series of evidence reviews on new care models.

Blog post 13/07/2018

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

research signpost
Blog post 19/03/2018

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.

26/08/2017

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

Paper files
Report 01/05/2016

Integrated care: rapid evidence scan

Exploring what integration can mean in different contexts, we have summarised evidence on effectiveness and cost effectiveness of integrated care, alongside lessons for implementation and considerations for measurement and evaluation.

Report 01/04/2016

Unplanned admissions: rapid evidence scan

Reducing unplanned admissions is a key priority for local health economies. This rapid evidence scan will help you to navigate the evidence base on various service interventions and their impact on unscheduled care.

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