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Welcome to the Midlands Analyst Network

Thank you for being part of our growing community! If you are an analyst who works in health & care or the wider public sector, then join the Midlands Analyst Network!

Launched in April 2020, this thriving community now connects well over 1,300 members from a wide range of organisations - mainly in the Midlands, but increasingly from across the UK. The Network provides a supportive space for analysts to share ideas, resources, and good practice, as well as to seek advice, spark debate, and develop skills together.

I love how the huddles have grown into a space beyond simply sharing ideas and work, to a regular opportunity for analysts to come together as a community. They frequently lead to insightful and previously unconsidered questions and debates and also serve as a fantastic welcoming opportunity for those dipping their toes into the world of analytics and improved decision making. Andi Orlowski, Director of the Health Economics Unit

Meet your Network lead: Rachel Caswell

Rachel is a Senior Healthcare Analyst at the Strategy Unit and the Lead for Training & Development. She's passionate about developing the Network and supporting analysts across the system to connect, learn, and lead through collaboration.


Fortnightly Huddles

At the heart of the Network are our fortnightly online Huddles, hosted on MS Teams (see link below). The Huddles cover a large range of topics and you are very welcome to join one at any time – for quick access to a Huddle, just follow the link below.  You don’t have to be a member of the Midlands Analyst Network to come to a Huddle but if you’d like to be kept up to date with all future Huddles and training opportunities then contact Rachel (rachel.caswell@nhs.net) and we’ll take it from there.

We try to keep them as informal but as informative as possible and welcome contributions from Network members as well from academia, subject specialists, national and occasionally international presenters.

If you have any queries about the Huddles, how to access them, if you want to find out what’s gone before, or you want to present then please contact Rachel.

Next Huddle: 14th May (11-12): Data reflections from the domestic abuse portfolio  

In this Huddle I will be joined by Nicola Dennis, Public Health Consultant and Sophie Ross, Public Health Practitioner (Analyst), Isle of Wight Council) who will be: 

  • Introducing Domestic Abuse and how it intersects with Public Health 
  • Reflecting on using Domestic Abuse data: the challenges and barriers
  • Talking about how their work will impact policy

Who is this Huddle for?

This Huddle will be of interest to analysts in health and care and community safety, public health, community safety commissioners and others interested in this topic.

How to join the Huddle

  • Via your normal Calendar invite
  • Via Teams link below
  • Via the Eventbrite registration process coming soon

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday 14th May 2026!

 


Same Teams link as usual and if you don't have this - it's here!

Click here to join the meeting Hop in at 11 am!


 

🎥 Catch up! See Huddle recordings below:

MAN  Huddle: 30/04/2026

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Topic: How to evaluate healthcare policy: from data to interpretation

with Professor Alex Bottle, Professor of Medical Statistics at Imperial College London

Presentation

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MAN Huddle: 08/01/2026

 

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Topic: From hospital to community: shifting care or swimming uphill?

With Fraser Battye, Head of Policy at the Strategy Unit

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MAN  Huddle: 22/01/2026

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Topic: What hospital activity could be done differently?

With Sarah Lucas, Healthcare Analyst, Strategy Unit

Presentation

Huddle Q&A

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MAN  Huddle: 05/02/2026

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Topic: Maximising the use of ethnicity data – developing a guide for analysts

With Mike Woodall, Analytics Manager, The Strategy Unit

Presentation

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MAN  Huddle: 19/02/2026

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Topic: Using data to define specialist hospitals’ role in the left shift

With Izaak Gilchrist, Senior Analyst at Edge Health

Presentation

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MAN  Huddle: 05/03/2026

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MAN  Huddle: 19/03/2026

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MAN  Huddle: 02/04/2026

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MAN  Huddle: 16/04/2026

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Topic: Chart with Purpose

with Simon Wellesley-Miller, Senior Analytical Manager NHS England

Presentation

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