Welcome to the National Analyst Network

Thank you for being part of our growing community

The National Analyst Network is a practical, welcoming and peer-led community for analysts, data scientists, intelligence colleagues and others using data, evidence and insight to support strategic commissioning and better decision-making across health, care and wider public services.

Building on the success of the Midlands Analyst Network, the National Analyst Network widens this community so that colleagues from across the country can connect, share learning, discuss common challenges and strengthen the contribution of analysis in practice.

The Network provides a supportive space to share ideas, resources and good practice; seek advice; ask questions; spark debate; and develop skills together. It is part of the Strategic Commissioning Intelligence Centre and brings together colleagues from across the wider analytical community, recognising that strategic commissioning depends on insight from many organisations, sectors and perspectives.

Meet your Network lead: Rachel Caswell

Rachel is a Senior Healthcare Analyst at the Strategy Unit and the Lead for Training & Development. She has led the Analyst Network since its early days and is passionate about supporting analysts to connect, learn from each other, share practical expertise and strengthen the role of analysis in decision-making.

Fortnightly Huddles

At the heart of the Network are our fortnightly online Huddles, hosted on MS Teams. Huddles are informal but informative sessions covering a wide range of topics linked to analysis, intelligence, evidence, decision-making and strategic commissioning.

You are very welcome to join any Huddle that feels useful or interesting to you. You do not need to be a member of the National Analyst Network to attend a Huddle, but joining the Network means you can be kept up to date with future Huddles, events, resources and opportunities to contribute.

We welcome contributions from Network members, as well as speakers from academia, health and care organisations, national bodies, subject specialists and, occasionally, international presenters.

For quick access to a Huddle, please use the link below. If you have any questions about the Huddles - including how to join the Network, access previous recordings, suggest a topic or present at a future session - please contact Rachel Caswell at rachel.caswell@nhs.net or complete this form.

Next Huddle: 29th October - Waiting Lists: What can analysts do next?

Building on the Waiting List Conference to explore how analysis, patient insight and collaboration can support better decisions and action.

September’s national Waiting List Conference: From Backlog to Breakthrough brought together patients, analysts, clinicians, researchers and system leaders to explore waiting lists as a complex, system-wide challenge.

This National Analyst Network Huddle will build on that conversation and look at what happens next. We’ll share key learning from the conference, hear different perspectives - including analytical and patient perspectives - explore emerging work, and consider what analysts can do to support better understanding, decisions and action on waiting lists.

We’ll also discuss how people working on similar challenges can continue to connect, share learning and collaborate beyond the session.

Who is it for?

The session is for analysts, data scientists, BI and intelligence colleagues, population health and performance teams, and others involved in understanding or improving waiting lists, demand, capacity and pathways across ICBs, providers, regional and national teams, local authorities, academia and the wider analytical community.

Clinical colleagues and decision makers with an interest in the topic are also very welcome.

How does this connect to strategic commissioning?

Waiting lists are not simply an operational performance issue. Understanding them means looking beyond headline numbers to the underlying causes, bringing together evidence about demand, capacity, inequalities and patient experience, and using that intelligence to support better decisions.

This Huddle will explore how analysts can help systems understand waiting-list pressures, frame the right questions and use evidence to inform what happens next.

Who are our presenters?

Our presenters include:

• Rosie Wakeman, Head of Training, HDR UK
• Neil Walton, Professor of Operations Management, Durham University Business School.
• Helena Robinson, Senior Information Analyst/Data Scientist, Countess of Chester Hospital
• Rachel Caswell, National Analyst Network Lead, Strategy Unit

Join via your calendar invite - if you don't have this - see below!

Click here to join the meeting Join us at 11 am!

Up and coming Huddles

• 12/11/26: Integrated Needs Assessments: understanding population needs to inform strategic commissioning (Title TBC)
• 26/11/26: Exploring workforce opportunities for analysts with Neil Morgan and Jon Adamson, MLCSU
• 04/02/27: Introducing the RAP Accelerator Programme with Rhian Davies, YiWen Hon and Chris Beeley, Strategy Unit

Continue the conversation ...

Continue the conversation through the Commissioning Academy where you'll find practical resources - from tools to podcasts and case studies - and discussion opportunities to support strategic commissioning. Explore further learning linked to the Strategic Commissioning Development Programme and connect with peers tackling similar challenges across the strategic commissioning cycle. 

The Strategic Commissioning Intelligence Centre (SCIC) is a core part of the Strategic Commissioning Development Programme (SCDP), in partnership with the Strategy Unit. See here for more information about SCIC.