Insight 2020 - Week 4: Exploring Health Inequalities
COVID-19 has shone a light on health inequalities; it has “laid bare our longstanding social, economic and political inequalities…” (BMJ,
Insight 2020 - Week 3: Analytical priorities of the Decision Support Network
The Midlands Decision Support Unit Network has defined its analytical priorities for 20/21.
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.

Bringing NHS analytics into the 21st Century
A marriage usually needs (at least): a matchmaker, two entities, a (little) money, a proposal and a home.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Let’s face the music and (not) dance
David Frith leads our strategy consultancy work with NHS and third sector organisations.

Why community alternatives to hospital admission don’t (typically) reduce total admission levels
Repeatedly, published evaluations show that community/primary care services interventions with a stated intention to reduce total (or forecast total) emergency admissions to hospital don’t achieve the expected result**

Warp and weft – recognising that physical and mental health are interwoven - By Professor Sir Muir Gray
On World Mental Health Day, we’re delighted to present a guest blog by Professor Sir Muir Gray, the first in a new series of commi
Lessons from the Vanguard: Innovation and Evaluation
The problems facing health and care services are so well known as to be documented in the media most days.
Lessons from the Vanguard: Procurement

Part of the solution or part of the problem? Management Consultants and the NHS
I was quoted in a recent Guardian newspaper article which described a London Clinical Commissioning Group’s wasteful use of external
Integrating health and care services - what works? It’s complicated…
Coinciding nicely with the NHS 70th Birthday celebrations and the parallel discussions of ‘where next and how to do it better’ for the NHS, last we
Mental Health and integration: Cinderella or the Ugly Sisters?
Introduction

Hear it from the team – what is innovation?
In this video, Lucy Hawkins (Senior Consultant) describes our understanding of the term ‘innovation’ and the conditions that allow it to flourish.