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Our work

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Image of shocked goose
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’

Image of female carer leaning over elderly female patient and holding her hand
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.

Stock image of red first aid kit with contents spilling out: stethoscope, tablets, ear buds, tweezers, plasters
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.

Change NHS logo
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.

Sword floating in water with rope around it
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.

Blue tied rope
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?

MDSN banner image
Event 01/06/2024

Midlands Analyst Network and Huddles

The Midlands Analyst Network was created to provide a space for analysts to share information, ideas and resources, as well as seek advice and guidance from one another.

Support elderly woman
Report 10/05/2024

MDSN: Community Healthcare Services

How Does Access to Community Health Services Vary Across the Midlands?

Two graphs showing Primary Medical Services and All NHS Services
Report 29/02/2024

MDSN: GP practice productivity, efficiency, and continuity of care

GP Practice productivity, efficiency, and continuity of care

Graph showing consultations per patient per year by year
Podcast 29/02/2024

MDSN: Long-term trends in GP practice Consultation Rates

GP practice consultations are, by some distance, the most common interaction between the NHS and the population it serves.

Graph showing mean consultations per person by ICB
Report 29/02/2024

MDSN: The gap between need and supply of GP practice consultations

The gap between need and supply of GP practice consultations

Stock image of AI
12/10/2023

MDSN: AI tools for evidence synthesis

With the advancing sophistication of AI and automation-based tools, we explore their use for evidence synthesis.

River winding through grass and trees
11/10/2023

Rural Health Inequalities

The UK Government (2016) define rural areas as those which

shinto shrine gates
25/07/2023

Exploring MSK Patient Pathways – Produced by Healthier Futures, Black Country

Exploring MSK Patient Pathways Patient Experiences: Facilitators and Barriers. And The Way Forward Full ReportJune 2023 

Cropped Hospital Scanner
Report 03/05/2023

How is growth in diagnostic testing affecting the hospital system?

Diagnostic services, such as medical imaging, endoscopy, and pathology, have grown substantially in recent years and at a faster rate than most other healthcare services. Increased diagnostic testing brings benefits to patients, but rapid growth of this service area within a complex, adaptive system such as the NHS is likely to have had unintended consequences. Midlands ICBs wanted to understand the impact of diagnostic growth on hospital services.

Population health implications of the Covid-19 pandemic graph
Report 16/01/2023

Population health implications of the Covid-19 pandemic

​​Our new report for The Midlands Decision Support Network (MDSN) presents findings of the effects of the care disruption, from the Covid-19 pandemic, on population health. The in-depth analysis identifies which patients and health conditions should be the focus of future efforts in reducing inequalities caused by the pandemic. ​

Evaluating Social Prescribing
16/12/2022

MDSN: Evaluating Social Prescribing Literature Review

Evaluating Social Prescribing – Literature review for the MDSN Evaluation Community of Practice collaborative project

Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic: strategic decision making by system leaders
16/12/2022

MDSN: Decision-making by senior leaders to support recovery from COVID

This paper summarises experiences of Integrated Care System leaders in making strategic decisions to support recovery of services from

Insight 2022 - Day 1
Blog post 21/11/2022

Insight 2022 - Day 1 - ICSs working together to be intelligence-led organisations: lessons from history

ICSs working together to be intelligence-led organisations: lessons from historyHow can Integrated Care Systems (ICS

Female in hospital bed with drip inserted into back of hand
Blog post 01/07/2022

Blog: Strategies to reduce inequalities in planned care

MDSN responds to recent reports addressing the NHS waiting list crisis

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