Top Menu

  • GitHub
  • Midlands Analyst Network and Huddles
  • SU Insights
  • Sign up for updates
The Strategy Unit

Main navigation

  • About Us
  • Our work
  • Services
  • Contact
  • Training
  • GitHub
  • Midlands Analyst Network and Huddles
  • SU Insights
  • Sign up for updates
  1. Home

Our work

  • Show all
  • Better use of analysis and decision making
  • Primary, community and social care services
  • System thinking and system working
  • (-) Wider determinants of health and prevention
  • Urgent and emergency care
  • (-) Inequalities
  • Elective / planned care
  • End of life
  • Mental health
  • Maternity services and child health
  • Specialised services
  • MDSN
  • (-) Show all
  • Problem structuring
  • Comparative analysis
  • Futures thinking
  • Strategy development
  • Learning and development
  • Evaluation and impact assessment
  • Evidence reviews
  • Options appraisal
  • Economic analysis
  • Complex modelling
  • Population mapping
  • Show all
  • Report
  • (-) Blog post
  • Long read
  • News
  • (-) Show all
  • Abeda Mulla
  • Andriana Vinnitchok
  • Chris Beeley
  • Clare Humble
  • David Frith
  • Fraser Battye
  • Jake Parsons
  • Josh Cook
  • Karen Bradley
  • Mark Thompson
  • Natasha Stephenson
  • Peter Spilsbury
  • Richard Ward
  • Steven Wyatt
Blog post 09/04/2025

Transforming Hospital Planning with an Open-Source Demand and Capacity Model​

​​We are proud to announce the open-sourcing of a demand and capacity model, developed with the New Hospitals Programme, to transform NHS hospital planning with transparency, collaboration, and efficiency. ​

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’

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.

Blog post 03/12/2024

Evaluating NHS England’s national approach to tackling healthcare inequalities

NHS England have commissioned the Strategy Unit to evaluate the national Core20PLUS5 approach for reducing healthcare inequalities.

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.

Confused man
Blog post 20/05/2024

Want to ease pressure in urgent care? Simply cut community services!?!

What should decision makers do with analysis that challenges deeply held assumptions? In this blog, Fraser Battye reflects on a surprising recent finding about community services.

Blog post 23/06/2023

Exploring the Edge of Tomorrow, Today

Exploring the critical building blocks for a resilient social care system in 2035 with the West Midlands Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (WM-ADASS).

Blog post 27/09/2022

What matters when waiting? – involving the public in NHS waiting list prioritisation

As the NHS emerged out of the pandemic, it was confronted with the challenge of not only recovery of unprecedented waiting lists, but with inequalities which required attention. NHS leaders challenged providers to restore inclusively and at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, we have developed a way of doing just that, whilst simultaneously reducing waiting times for all.

Blog post 26/07/2022

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.

Blog post 11/03/2022

Treating people on waiting lists: who decides what is fair?

Waiting lists for elective care are in the news. The national plan has been issued, with the expectation that lists will continue to rise for some years - and that long waiting will not disappear anytime soon. Addressing this ‘backlog’ will remain a fundamental challenge for some time to come.

Blog post 15/09/2021

Infant feeding problems, lockdown and attendance at Emergency Departments: what’s going on?

From our previous work, with Nuffield Trust and Health Foundation, we know that lockdown had a significant effect on attendance at Emergency Departments (ED). We also know that this effect was very unevenly distributed: some demographic groups stayed away far more than others.

Blog post 09/02/2021

Another look at inequality and NHS action on cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be one of the leading causes of death and disease in the UK.

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.

Blog post 08/03/2019

Time to act for sex and gender parity in health and care

On International Womens Day 2019, Abeda Mulla from the Strategy Unit reflects on our gendered society that has led to poorer health outcomes in women.

Blog post 18/02/2019

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.

Blog post 06/02/2019

They don’t believe you

Continuing our mental and physical health guest blog series, Sophie Corlett the Director of External Relations at Mind provides some perspectives from people with physical ailments who are users of mental health services.

Blog post 09/01/2019

Mind and body: inseparable twins

Jennifer Dixon, Chief Executive of the Health Foundation, reflects on the relationship between mental and physical health and the need for better integration of care.

Blog post 08/11/2018

Humans and system: challenging the false dichotomy between mental and physical health - Dr Hilary Grant

Pagination

  • Next page Next
The Strategy Unit
NHS Logo

Quick Links

  • COVID-19
  • Publications
  • News and Views
  • Contact
  • Cookies
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility statement

The Strategy Unit 

Copyright © 2025 | Website design by NHS Midlands and Lancashire / NHS Arden and Greater East Midlands.

Accessibility

100%
100%
Scroll to top