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.
Complex problems and Multi-Disciplinary Teams
Many moons ago, I was fortunate enough to observe a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) in Dudley.
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
Discharge before noon
Can data on discharge times help us to improve hospital flow?
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
Neighbourhood health should not be judged (solely) by its ability to reduce hospital activity
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy arrived at NASA headquarters for a progress update on the planned trip to the moon.
Diagnosing the problems of non-diagnosis
Some descriptions of healthcare seem to be taken straight from the film Minority Report.
Big GP practices: light work or spoilt broth?
Larger GP practices may deliver more appointments, but are they the most efficient way to provide good care?
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.
Continuity in primary care: the safest bet we aren’t able to make?
In this long-read, which first appeared in the HSJ, Fraser Battye asks whether focusing on continuity might also improve access to primary care
What explains the recent growth in hospital activity?
In this long read, Fraser Battye describes our analysis of what has driven the growth in hospital activity.
A journey into intersectionality
A practical exploration of intersectionality, testing theory through quantitative analysis of hospital readmissions.
The enduring ‘messy programme’ with ‘mixed results’
The diagram below shows me at my most cynical.
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.
Beating the backlog: Meeting the waiting list challenge
The NHS waiting list in England must halve to reach waiting time targets.
Strengthening ethnicity data across the NHS: developing the national improvement plan
Our analysis and stakeholder engagement supported NHS England to develop the national Ethnicity Recording Improvement Plan.
10-Year Productivity Forecast for the English NHS: An Expert Elicitation Study
Expert elicitation exercise commissioned by and in collaboration with the Health Foundation has produced forecasts of NHS productivity rates over the next 10 years.
The Strategy Unit contribution to neighbourhood health
Our role in supporting the national effort to turn the vision of neighbourhood health into action by providing evidence, analysis and insight.
Heart Failure Targeted Funding Programme 2023/24 Evaluation
The Heart Failure Targeted Funding Programme was an NHS England initiative to improve access to heart failure specialists in the commu
Making sense of failure demand in the NHS
I must be an unpleasant creature to share a room with. I snore. I smell. And I’m seemingly addicted to my way of doing things.