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Our work

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carer holding had with elderly person in wheelchair
Blog post 24/09/2025

A missing element in ‘shifting care’

Our Director, Peter Spilsbury, outlines the scale of the task when it comes to making ‘the shift from hospital to community’.

Blog post 27/03/2025

‘Internal Consultancy’: INSIGHTS from evidence and experience

In this blog, our Head of Policy, Fraser Battye, shares his reflections on a recent ‘SU INSIGHTS’ event on the ‘Internal Consultancy’

Long read 05/03/2025

From ‘right drift’ to ‘left shift’?

Our Head of Policy, Fraser Battye, looks at the challenges facing the intention to shift care ‘from hospital to community’. He suggests that we have missed a critical part of the explanation for why this ‘left shift’ hasn’t taken place following previous initiatives.

Blog post 14/02/2025

Charisma

In this long read, which first appeared in the HSJ, Fraser Battye - our Head of Policy – looks at the role of charisma and innovation in the way that NHS resources are allocated.

Long read 12/12/2024

‘NHS 10 Year Plan’: Strategy Unit consultation response

The Strategy Unit’s response to the Government’s current consultation on the ‘10 Year Health Plan’ for England.

Blog post 10/10/2024

Ara Darzi, Wes Streeting and English health policy. Part 2: cutting the knot

Following on from part one, Fraser continues exploring the Gordian Knot of English health policy.

Blog post 04/10/2024

Ara Darzi, Wes Streeting and English health policy. Part 1: the Gordian Knot

Health policy is not at a crossroads, it is in a bind. Strands so entangled, so complex they resemble a Gordian knot. Can this knot be untied?

Old medicine bottles
Blog post 16/07/2024

The risks of risk stratification

Medical history is full of bizarre and gruesome procedures.

Blog post 26/03/2024

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.

Blog post 19/03/2024

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.

Blog post 12/03/2024

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?

Report 04/03/2024

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.

 An ophthalmologist examining a patient's eye with an ophthalmoscope
Podcast 09/10/2023

Review of Ophthalmic Managed Clinical Networks (MCNs) in Staffordshire and Shropshire

The aim of the MCNs is to bring together primary care optometrists with local ophthalmologists within a geographical area. This is a review Strategy Unit were commissioned by NHS England to work with a medical retina MCN in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and a glaucoma MCN in Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent, to review their work so far and look at the opportunities the networks present.

Socio-economic inequalities in coronary heart disease
Report 09/12/2022

Socio-economic inequalities in coronary heart disease

There are substantial differences in mortality rates from cardiovascular disease between socio-economic groups.  Our new tool provides an overview, for ICBs, of the points on the care pathway where inequalities emerge and are amplified

Photo by David Travis on Unsplash
Blog post 03/03/2020

Key opportunities for eye health and well being

Eye health and sight loss services have historically had a lower profile in service provision compared to many other specialities. There is a view that the importance of eye health has been underrepresented in many Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) plans.

Long read 29/09/2019

Lessons, Evaluation and Learning from the Dudley MCP

Learning from Dudley MCP

Report 17/09/2018

Evaluation of the Dudley New Care Models Programme

This is the final system-wide report from the evaluation.

Blog post 01/06/2018

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.

Report 01/06/2018

Horizontal or Vertical: Which way to integrate?

In 2011, Primary Care Trusts faced a difficult choice. The Transforming Community Services policy required a complete break of commissioner and provider functions. But what should PCTs do with the community health services they delivered; vertically integrate with an acute trust, horizontally integrate with a mental health trust, or set up a stand-alone community trust or Community Interest Company? Seven years on, this report explores the impact this choice had on the level and growth in emergency hospital use in older people and considers the wider implications for the NHS as it develops new models of care and integrated care systems

Report 09/02/2018

Dudley MCP Scenario Analysis

Dudley is one of fourteen vanguard sites nationally developing the Multispecialty Community Provider (MCP) care model.

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