What we do

Vision

Our vision is to help provide the objective research and analysis that boosts the quality of health policy and practice, and ultimately improves the health and health care of people in the UK.

Mission

We aim to help provide the evidence base for better health care through four key activities: conducting cutting edge research and influential analysis; informing and generating debate; supporting leaders; and examining international best practice.

• Conducting cutting edge research and influential policy analysis: our strength centres on the balance between our rigorous quantitative research, which provides a solid evidence base, and our expert policy analysis of the underlying causes and policy implications. We use this information to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches to health care reform, and act as a ‘critical observer’ offering independent policy insight backed up by cutting edge quantitative analysis. We also provide practical advice to those implementing health care reform through our publications and networking opportunities.

• Informing and generating high-level debate: we are a respected forum for high-level debate and thinking on health care reform. Our role as a trusted convenor enables us to bring together a wide group of influential people in the UK and abroad to inform and influence emerging health policy. Our respected and widely attended seminars and conferences, including our flagship Annual Health Strategy Summit, provide a platform for policy-makers, health care chief executives, clinicians, managers, academics and the media to engage in discourse and critical debate.

• Supporting the clinical and managerial leaders of tomorrow: we believe it is important to invest in future health leaders, so our fellowships are an important aspect of our work. We sponsor the Harkness Fellowship programme, alongside The Commonwealth Fund, and award The Rock Carling and The John Fry Fellowships.

• Examining international best practice: one of our strengths is examining international best practice and using this intelligence to inform policy-making and practice in the UK. Our researchers regularly examine international health systems and translate the learning to the benefit of the UK health community. We have an ongoing programme of developing relationships with prominent international policy-makers to increase our knowledge on the direction of key reforms abroad.

Values

In everything we do we strive to be: independent; rigorous; relevant; open-minded; and to make a difference.  

Current work programme

The period from 2011 to 2015 is likely to be the most challenging ever faced by the NHS. Our experts are analysing the Government’s NHS reforms in detail, and leading on a range of research projects that are aiming to help the NHS respond to the major challenges ahead. Our focus is on promoting improvements in the quality of health care and health policy in a number of key areas. These are outlined in more detail in the Our Work section of our website.