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 Midlands 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.

Next Huddle: 3rd September (11-12): Making more strategic use of analysis: what has to be true if analysts are to play a fuller role in decision making?

Join us for a special Huddle as we launch the National Analyst Network (NAN) – a national peer-learning community for analysts and analytical colleagues across health and care and beyond.

Building on the Midlands Analyst Network, NAN will create opportunities for analysts from across the country to connect, share learning, showcase their work and learn from different perspectives. It forms part of the Strategic Commissioning Intelligence Centre (SCIC), supporting the development of the analytical capability and community needed for strategic commissioning.

And we're starting as we mean to go on, with a participatory session led by Fraser Battye and Charles Tallack:

While not ignoring some very real constraints, analysis seems to be having a moment.

The move to strategic commissioning – at least on the face of it – radically increases the space for analytical influence. As does the development of Integrated Healthcare Organisations. As does Neighbourhood working. Ditto Population Health Management.

In each case, perhaps most notably with strategic commissioning, analysts are being asked some fundamental questions. What should priorities be, given the needs of the population? How can limited resources be used to best effect? What outcomes can be seen from any changes in service provision?

Analysis is looking less ‘nice to have’ and more ‘absolutely fundamental’.

This is all good in principle, but what about in practice? The historic record isn't a straightforward story of progress. And many decision makers will – understandably perhaps – equate ‘analysis’ with ‘dashboard’: do they know what they need?

Fraser and Charles will explore what needs to be true for analysis to become central to strategic decision making – and what analysts and their organisations need to do to make this a reality.

The session will be participatory, so please come prepared to contribute!

Who is the session for?

This Huddle is for anyone interested in how analysis can play a fuller role in decision-making - not just producing outputs, but helping to frame questions, explore options, challenge assumptions and support better strategic choices. It will be especially useful for analysts and intelligence colleagues, as well as analytical leaders, commissioners and decision-makers who want to strengthen the relationship between analysis and action.

Teams link 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

• 17/09/26: Midlands Prevention Toolkit, with Su Xavier and Olivia Conroy, NHSE Midlands
• 26/11/26: Exploring workforce opportunities for analysts with Neil Morgan and Jon Adamson, MLCSU