Our Head of Policy, Fraser Battye, looks at the challenges facing the intention to shift care ‘from hospital to community’. He suggests that we have missed a critical part of the explanation for why this ‘left shift’ hasn’t taken place following previous initiatives.

In this long read, which first appeared in the HSJ, Fraser Battye - our Head of Policy – looks at the role of charisma and innovation in the way that NHS resources are allocated.

The Strategy Unit is increasingly being commissioned to undertake evaluations on the premise of learning from the findings for programme delivery. As our evaluation blog series continues, Abeda Mulla sets out why this intent to share lessons learnt from evaluations is realised in frustratingly few instances and outlines our collective responsibility to share findings more widely.

Evaluation blog series continues with Impact Evaluation Lead Mike Woodall looking at how programme designers can maximise the chances of success.

A blog series and short reports sharing how to design projects to best support evaluation.

NHS England have commissioned the Strategy Unit to evaluate the national Core20PLUS5 approach for reducing healthcare inequalities.

Following on from part one, Fraser continues exploring the Gordian Knot of English health policy.

Health policy is not at a crossroads, it is in a bind. Strands so entangled, so complex they resemble a Gordian knot. Can this knot be untied?

Medical history is full of bizarre and gruesome procedures. People have received milk transfusions (milk being the perfect substitute for blood); skulls have been drilled (to relieve pressure and cure headaches); and toddlers have had their teeth cut (to prevent infant death, which often came at the same time as teeth). The list is as long as it is horrifying.

What should decision makers do with analysis that challenges deeply held assumptions? In this blog, Fraser Battye reflects on a surprising recent finding about community services.