Research, analysis
and strategic change
expertise from
within the NHS
Research, analysis and strategic change expertise from within the NHS
The Strategy Unit.
The Strategy Unit is
Born from the NHS
an established health
The Strategy Unit was established in
2006, as a small specialist team within a
Strategic Health Authority. Today, we’re
an autonomous consultancy business (as
part of the NHS Midlands and Lancashire
CSU), with a team of 30 and an annual
turnover in excess of £3 million.
and care consultancy,
born from the NHS. We
help commissioners,
healthcare providers,
universities, charities,
and Government
to solve complex
problems by providing
evidence-informed
analysis and advice –
because we believe that
better evidence leads
to better decisions.
In an ever-more
challenging climate,
Our mission is simple: to improve
outcomes by helping our customers
successfully navigate complexity and
risk. We help commissioners, healthcare
providers, universities, charities, national
policy makers, and Government to
understand the challenges they face,
and make the best possible decisions.
Our clients, who are at the forefront
of UK healthcare, value us as a trusted
partner to provide evidence-informed
analysis and advice, and the ability to
take that into implementation.
Better evidence, better decisions,
better outcomes.
What we offer
• TRUSTED ADVISOR SUPPORT
FOR SENIOR LEADERS
• EVIDENCE REVIEW
• ANALYSIS
• POLICY AND STRATEGY
DEVELOPMENT
• CONSENSUS BUILDING
• PROGRAMME DESIGN
• STRATEGIC FINANCIAL
PLANNING
• ASSURANCE AND
IMPLEMENTATION AFTER
PROGRAMME DESIGN
• INTELLIGENT
COMMISSIONING
• CAPACITY BUILDING
• TRANSFORMATIONAL
CHANGE
our rich experience,
• SUPPORTING
INNOVATION
technical expertise,
• EVALUATION
and operational
understanding, enables
our clients to achieve
success and provide a
measurable benefit
to society.
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We provide project-based consultancy services on large and
small scale change programmes, working with our clients to
develop insight, and to determine:
• What needs to change?
• Where are the opportunities for change and improvement?
• What can be done to effect change?
• What’s the local context?
• How can we implement improvement?
• Are the changes working?
We work with:
Commissioners and providers of health and social care
Whole-system health and care economies (a number of STPs)
Local Authorities
Vanguards
National Innovation Test Bed Programme
GP Federations
Clinical Senates and Strategic Networks
NHS England and other national bodies in health and social care
National Third Sector organisations
Research funders and providers
The Strategy Unit are inspiring in their
commitment, dedication to evidence and use
of innovative analysis as a way to improve
health and care.
Professor Sir Bruce Keogh
National Medical Director, NHS England
Research, analysis and strategic change expertise from within the NHS
Driven by our values.
Improving
health and care
for patients and
communities
drives everything
we do.
Our sole purpose is to help find
solutions to address complex and longstanding problems, and to embrace
opportunities to achieve improvement.
We aim to place patients and service
users at the heart of our work, and we
only take on projects where we are
confident that our work can make a
positive difference.
We recognise that health and social
care is a complex environment where
uncertainty and volatility are inherent.
We have a track record of driving
innovation by supporting complex
change. Where possible, we like to
develop longterm partnerships where
we can go on a shared journey with
our clients, and where innovations arise
that can be used elsewhere, generating
benefits for both parties.
The Strategy Unit recognises that our
clients are often time poor, and under
increasing pressure to deliver results
more quickly. With this in mind, we
offer a ‘real world’ balance of rigour and
practical relevance.’
We adopt a collaborative coaching
style when we work with clients,
actively seeking to transfer skills and
learning. We practice the open sharing
of knowledge, and are committed
to developing the evidence base to
support complex change through
robust and authentic evaluation.
We’re committed to continuous
learning and improvement, always
seeking out, and acting upon, feedback
from our clients. Having a strong
public sector ethos, the profits from
our work is reinvested into continual
improvements which benefit our clients.
Astonishing, just astonishing! It’s one of
the coolest and cleverest pieces of work
I’ve been involved in.
Professor Simon Brake,
Director of Primary Care Sustainability
& Integration, Coventry City Council
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Our portfolio covers areas such as:
• Comprehensive strategic support
packages for a number of STPs.
• Developing currencies for community,
mental health, social services and
primary care services, based on
cluster analysis of utilisation as an aid
to modelling impacts of change – e.g.
hospital services on other sectors.
• National analytical work on mental
health/physical health for all 44 STPs
in England
• Understanding the causes of urgent
care demand.
• The relationship between GP practice,
organisation, and A&E utilisation.
• Utilising proximity to death as
an alternative way to plan future
resource implications, and desirable
service provision for populations and
individuals.
• Evaluation of multiple vanguards,
a National Test Bed site, referral
management systems, and of
RAID services.
• Introducing 'outcome based' Payment
by Results, and Any Qualified Provider
Arrangements for Stop Smoking
Services across the West Midlands.
• Modelling the impact of proposed
changes to services for stroke,
specialist hospital services.
• Supporting national, and local,
evaluation of the Five Year
Forward View New Models of Care
Programme, delivering national ‘logic
model’ workshops and intensive
support to the Dudley Vanguard.
• Novel methods for forecasting
dementia demands.
• NIHR-funded research project on
evidence for MCPs nationally.
• Detailed analysis of QIPP opportunities,
and demographic effects.
• Modelling changes in bed utilisation
– consequent on whole economy
change programmes.
• Producing the 'Towards Excellence
in Primary Care' resource for the
West Midlands Clinical Senate.
• Evidence reviews to support
Healthier Together change
proposals in Greater Manchester.
• National scoping studies for
economies of carer support;
personal health budgets;
neurosciences strategy
• Co-developing, specifying, and
quantifying, strategic clinical models of
care to underpin greater community
based care, reconfiguration and
system redesign.
• Assessing future national demand for
endoscopy services (with HSMC for
Cancer Research UK).
• Linking health and social care data
to support analysis of opportunities
for integration.
If I was asked to choose leads for future
strategic analysis my preference would
always be to ask for this team to be
involved. Their advice, expertise and
approach has been invaluable.
• Supporting integration programmes
to identify highest priorities for
service development and change.
Nighat Hussain
Hyper Acute Stroke Reconfiguration Lead,
Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG
• Supporting primary care capability
development at a practice level
and for primary care at scale.
(EPIC programme in Dudley)
•
Research, analysis and strategic change expertise from within the NHS
How we can
support you.
We offer a range of support services, from helping
you to design, implement, and evaluate (in real
time) transformation programmes, through to
understanding the local context.
In order to deliver
an effective change
programme you need to…
… know about the nature,
scale and likely evolution
of need in your area.
The Strategy Unit can help you with:
• NEEDS ASSESSMENTS.
• COACHING AND TRUSTED ADVISOR SUPPORT
• RESILIENT PARTNERSHIP WORKING
• COMPLEX ANALYSIS
… define strategic
priorities to address
identified problems –
and to know what
interventions are most
likely to be effective
in achieving the
desired change.
• CLARIFYING THE PROBLEM
• STRATEGY AND PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT
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In order to deliver
an effective change
programme you need to…
… develop ways to work
and make decisions in
partnership.
The Strategy Unit can help you with:
• ACHIEVING CONSENSUS TO BEGIN WORKING TOGETHER AND,
ULTIMATELY, TO DO SOMETHING INTENDED TO ACHIEVE CHANGE
• THE RIGHT GOVERNANCE
• TRUSTED ADVISOR SUPPORT FOR SROS
• WHAT IT REALLY TAKES TO DELIVER CHANGE PROGRAMMES
(RESOURCES AND TIMELINES)
• CAPACITY BUILDING
• BUSINESS CASE DEVELOPMENT
… assess the likely impacts
of proposed changes.
• PROSPECTIVE IMPACT ASSESSMENTS
… understand how
well implementation is
progressing and what
needs to change ‘in real
time.’
• EVALUATION AS INTELLIGENT IMPLEMENTATION
… draw upon specialist
technical inputs to aid
implementation.
• ACCESS TO A NETWORK OF SPECIALISTS, EMPLOYED AND VRA
ESTABLISHED PARTNERSHIPS
… understand the value of
your efforts.
• ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
• DOCUMENTING YOUR CHANGE
Research, analysis and strategic change expertise from within the NHS
Connecting you
to a network of
expert specialists.
The Strategy Unit works
with three long-term partners:
The Strategy Unit alliance partner,
The Transformation Unit
based in Greater Manchester
The Transformation Unit is a highly innovative NHS team consisting of more
than 25 people, delivering transformation support to a range of programmes
including Healthier Together and the Greater Manchester devolution programme.
Working predominately in Greater Manchester, the TU team operate to the
same consultancy business model as the Strategy Unit.
Specialists in
large scale change
programme; politics of
change; engagement &
consultation; complex
system governance;
clinical leadership
development.
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The Strategy Unit alliance partner,
ICF International
ICF is an international research consultancy that works across all areas of
public policy – from health and social care, to climate change and food
security; from labour markets and education, to migration and justice. ICF
specialises in applied research and analysis and offers the same basic proposition
across all of its work: that high quality applied analysis is needed to make best
use of scarce resources.
Specialists in
complex evaluation;
impact assessments;
international
knowledge transfer
across sectors;
economic analysis.
Health Services Management Centre,
University of Birmingham
The Strategy Unit also works in partnership with the Health Services
Management Centre (HSMC) at the University of Birmingham. Most recently,
we have collaborated on a national review of endoscopy capacity for Cancer
Research UK and, along with ICF, a high profile evaluation of NHS England’s learning
disability programme.
Academic rigour
and research; policy
advisory; evaluation;
specialist consultancy.
The Strategy Unit also works with a few
other highly regarded Associates and partner
organisations, selected for their expertise
and experience in:
• Strategic finance
• Social care
• Mental health and
learning disabilities
• Primary care commissioning
• Large-scale change, and
• Ethical leadership
• Clinical peer review and
clinical service standards setting
• Digitial innovation
Research, analysis and strategic change expertise from within the NHS
Our offer to you.
Our problem logically and intelligently described
positive challenges, helpful dissonance, and great nudging: you
didn’t just tell us what to do or how to do it!
Simon Harlin, GP and Consultant in Integrated Care, Walsall
The Strategy Unit
is born from the NHS
(which means shared
values, and relevant
experience).
We’re subject
matter experts.
We have a cumulative
Net Promoter Score
of 80%.
We work with clinical
teams and we coproduce.
We understand
the pressures
you’re under.
We’ll work together
to confront difficult
situations.
We’ll empower you
to be autonomous –
we’re not interested
in long term
dependency.
We’ll walk with you
– throughout the
journey, and after
completion.
We’ll upskill /
transfer skills
to your team.
You’ll be better
equipped to inform
better decisions.
We can help you
to save money.
Our service, just like
your challenge, is
unique, it’s bespoke
and built to fit.
It’s a partnership: If
you’ve succeed, then
we’ve succeeded.
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Get in touch.
Ready to see how
The Strategy Unit can
help your organisation?
Please contact PETER SPILSBURY for an initial discussion on:
Email: [email protected]
| Tel: 07971412240
Re: ‘Scoping the Future’, 2015, CRUK
I thought this a very thorough
and credible piece of work
- it will become one of the
key records in the story of
Endoscopy in Britain.
Dr Roland Valori,
Consultant Gastroenterologist,
Gloucestershire Hospital’s FT
www.strategyunit.co.uk
[email protected]
@Strategy_Unit
📞 0121 612 3895
Kingston House
438-450 High Street
West Midlands
B70 9LD
Part of Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit