Supporting system planning, assurance, evaluation and research

Informatics, analytics and digital tools to support system planning, assurance, evaluation and research

Our approaches are proven to support ICS/STPs in identifying and prioritising areas for improvement. We also partner with them to design and deliver improvements.

Our work to identify and design solutions has national currency, and our evaluations influence practice. We are experts in unpacking complexity and delivering rigour through our core competencies, tools and supply chain.

ICS/STPs need to be effective in identifying opportunities that will truly make a difference at scale – improving value as well as quality. Our approach to support this is based on:

• Scanning and consensus-building – we co-produce assessments of what can be achieved with clinicians and others, and triangulate multiple sources
• Scoping – we devise innovative analytical approaches based on robust data, data linkage and novel algorithms. We draw on expert clinical advice from our established networks, literature review and academic collaboration
• Initiating improvement solutions – we routinely review and synthesise national and international evidence for our clients, identifying innovations that warrant further investigation. We then work with the health system to develop the case for piloting them, and lead evaluation to support wider adoption
• Enhancing provision through our analysis – we work at a highly granular level to identify service enhancements related to complex questions.

We work with clients to define patient and population cohorts, identifying those that play a significant role against the triple aim of better care, better health and lower cost. We routinely use data matching to create local health economy insights.

Once outliers have been identified, our risk stratification analysis tool can be used to identify specific cohorts and individuals for clinicians to target.

Our Aristotle tool provides benchmarking analysis within and between health populations by comparing secondary activity across GP practices, CCGs and health regions.

We have an effective approach to modelling and evaluating the effectiveness of different interventions at an organisational, system, regional and national scale

Together with our partners, we provide access to a wide array of data and modelling capability to unpack the ‘theory of change’ underpinning any prospective intervention, its potential return on investment and how best to implement it.

Our mathematical modelling is context-specific, and ranges from simple static and deterministic models through to the use of discrete event simulation, Markov chain modelling, systems dynamics and agent-based modelling.

Our evaluation, underpinned by sophisticated modelling that generates new insights, is an active tool in building business cases and scaling up solutions.

ICSs will also require assistance brokering the information governance arrangements and technical support to facilitate data flows, linkage, architecture and reporting. We currently provide these services to more than 40 CCGs.