Insight 2020 - Week 2: The role of the Decision Support Network

The Midlands Decision Support Unit (DSU) Network is a new and emerging approach to bring together analytical resource a

Insight 2020 - Week 1: Our decision making context in 2020

Transformation in health and care has been rapid and intensive, particularly in 2020.

Accessibility of perinatal mental health services for women from Ethnic Minority groups

Barriers to accessing mental health care during pregnancy and the first postnatal year (perinatal period) seem to be greater for ethnic minority women.

Modelling the impact of covid on waiting lists for planned care

Working with the national collaboration to coordinate covid-related analysis, and the NHSE/I Midlands region, the Strategy Unit has produced a ‘systems dynamics’ model of waiting lists for planned care. The model is freely available for non-commercial use across the NHS. Here, Steven Wyatt and Mike Woodall explain what we did and how we did it.

How will we know if Integrated Care Systems reduce demand for urgent care?

The implications of a blended payment system are far reaching: Decisions about planned activity levels will determine the total funding envelope for urgent care within a system and will influence the behaviour of healthcare providers and the services they deliver to patients.

Exploring Mental Health Inpatient Capacity

This report explores the pressures on inpatient mental health services across Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships in England, drawing on a wide range of datasets, published research and interviews with staff working on mental health services. The report was commissioned by and includes a response from the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Learning and Development of Problem Solving Techniques

What is innovation?

Clinical Workforce Scenarios for the Black Country

The future is highly uncertain.

Waiting Times and Attendance Durations at English A&E Departments

In March 2019, NHS England is expected to report the outcome of its review of constitutional waiting times targets. This report reviews the factors that have led to the decline in performance against one of these targets - the 4-hour target for Accident and Emergency Departments. The analysis uncovers new insights and has the potential to reshape received wisdom about the performance of A&E departments, carrying important implications for healthcare policy and system leadership.

Emerging from the silos: how the NHS can support economic growth

The Strategy Unit has been leading the way on supporting local NHS bodies to consider the wider economic impact of how they operate. Here, David Frith highlights what a shift this is for the NHS, along with the range of opportunities NHS bodies should consider exploring.

Let’s face the music and (not) dance

David Frith leads our strategy consultancy work with NHS and third sector organisations.

Tools & templates: Problem structuring

Problem trees and driver diagrams can help you to understand the causes and effects of your problem.

The Potential Economic Impact of Virtual Outpatient Appointments in the West Midlands: A scoping study

The Strategy Unit was recently approached to examine the case for a shift from traditional outpatient services to the use of virtual a

Evaluation of an Integrated Mental Health Liaison Service (Rapid Assessment Interface and Discharge Service) in Northern Ireland

A high proportion of patients treated for physical health conditions also have co-morbid mental health problems; and there is growing acceptance of

Making a priority of mental health and wellbeing in Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire has been an early mover in the transition from Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STP) to Integrated Care Systems (ICS

Lessons from the Vanguard: Procurement

Making the case for integrating physical and mental health services in England - National overview

This is a national overview report of our Making the case for integrating physical and mental health services reporting which took place in July 20

Risk and Reward Sharing for NHS Integrated Care Systems

Risk and reward sharing is a simple and attractive concept, offering a commissioner the opportunity to co-opt and incentivise a provid

Scenario planning – an antidote to the false certainties of forecasts and grand plans

The resurgence of uncertainty