Blog post 04/09/2020Prof. Deirdre HeenanMark Dayan
Rebuilding any health system after Covid-19 will be difficult, but it could be an even tougher task in Northern Ireland. Deirdre Heenan and Mark Dayan assess the impact of the pandemic on an already beleaguered health system, and argue that support and goodwill for the NHS over the past months must...
Blog post 02/09/2020Dr Elizabeth Fisher
A&E attendances by children and young people have gone down since Covid-19 started, but what does that tell us? Liz Fisher takes a closer look at the numbers, and describes the importance of knowing more about what parents and young people chose to do rather than access emergency care.
Data story 28/08/2020
Each week we present analysis of data in chart form to illustrate some key issues and invite discussion. This week Lucina Rolewicz reveals that the staff absence rate in the NHS in April was the highest since records began – exceeding even winter peaks of sickness absence over the last 11 years. A...
Report 27/08/2020Rachel Hutchings
The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in the adoption of digital technology in the NHS and changes to the way services are delivered at an incredible pace. So as the health service works hard to get back to something like normality, are all the elements of this sea change in digital practice positive,...
Report 25/08/2020Nigel EdwardsLouella VaughanBilly Palmer
In rural and remote areas, the closure of maternity units can mean longer transfer times and poorer support for obstetric emergencies, but the viability of smaller maternity units is often questioned. This working paper discusses the issues affecting the delivery of safe and effective maternity serv...
Blog post 25/08/2020Louella Vaughan
An inquiry into the safety of maternity services was recently announced by the Health and Social Care Committee. Which factors should be under consideration, and what we do know already? Louella Vaughan reflects on insights from a workshop on the subject.
Blog post 24/08/2020Charlotte Augst
It’s been a remarkable year so far, with Covid-19 changing our lives in ways we previously would have found unimaginable. In a guest blog, Charlotte Augst argues the case for leaders with a clear sense of moral certainty, and the values that should be informing the response to the crisis.
Blog post 21/08/2020Jessica MorrisChris Sherlaw-Johnson
Long read: It was announced at the end of June that the four-hour A&E target will be replaced by a new basket of measures. But what might be the benefits and disadvantages of those new measures? Jessica Morris and Chris Sherlaw-Johnson run through the proposed A&E standards to see w...
Data story 19/08/2020
Each week we present analysis of data in chart form to illustrate some key issues and invite discussion. This week Sarah Reed and Sarah Scobie look at the powerful effect that the pandemic has had on performance against the 18-week target for planned treatment in England.
Press release 18/08/2020
The Government risks making a major misstep by dismantling its own Public Health agency at such a crucial time.