We provide actionable insight through data science and advanced analytics. We do this using collaboration, innovation and experimentation.
We work across the NHSBSA, and with external organisations such as NHS England, to provide new insights from data that improve patient and customer outcomes and reduce loss in the system.
Recent projects
Data Professional roles in the NHS: the NCF’s quest for standardisation
This blog on the NHSBSA Data Analytics Github explores how NHS Jobs data could be used to gauge how similar data professional roles are based on the technical skills requested. Knowing how similar these positions are across the NHS could help to guide and complement initiatives such as the National Competency Framework (NCF) and maximise their impact on the workforce.
The team have used text matching approaches and high dimensional scaling to compare the 1,700 data professional roles advertised across the NHS during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 financial years. The code has been published publicly on Github together with the blog.
Estimated prescribing patterns for care home patients aged 65 and over from 2020-21 to 2022-23
The team did experimental linkage work to identify older care home patients aged 65 and over in our NHS Prescriptions data. Insight into care home prescribing has been a key gap in knowledge.
This builds upon the 2020-2021 analysis, adding 2 more years' worth of data, additional prescribing metrics and revised charts and analyses.
The team have published an open source insight report and detailed methodology. All supporting code is available. They used Ordnance Survey Address Base as part of the matching process and have also created an R package for others to use when matching addresses.
Child Health Insights: take up of NHS Dental, NHS Prescribing and supporting schemes
The Child Health Insights report takes a closer look at NHS prescribing and NHS Dental treatments amongst children in England. It also provides insights into take up of maternity exemption certificates and the NHS Healthy Start scheme.
These insights support the Core20PLUS5 approach to reducing healthcare inequalities. They can be used by local authorities, Integrated Care Boards and policy makers to support targeted actions to improve outcomes for children at both national and local level.
Healthcare inequalities: access to NHS prescribing and exemption schemes in England
Working with NHS England, the NHSBSA Data Science team have explored uptake of NHS exemption schemes and prescribing patterns in England in deprived and other under-served communities in the Core20PLUS populations. The team have provided actionable insights with a focus on three clinical areas of prescribing - chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension, and severe mental illness (SMI).
You can view the healthcare inequalities report online.
Take up of the NHS Low Income Scheme in England
Using a combination of analytics, user research and customer survey data, the team explored whether the NHS Low Income Scheme in England reaches its intended audience and meets user needs. You can view a public version of the report.
The team used a cutting edge reporting approach which they describe in the NHS-R Community blog, together with code on GitHub. They have also created a template for building NHSBSA branded R Shiny dashboards.