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Health economics skills expanded in south London
September 17, 2025The health economics team at the Health Innovation Network (HIN) South London is welcoming its newest member, Becca Naylor.
Becca Naylor has joined the HIN from the renowned York Health Economics Consortium. She worked on various projects including: an early value assessment for NICE on the digital management of COPD, pharmacological interventions for weight management and the impact on inequalities, and a cost-carbon analysis for a clinician support tool in primary care.
“I’m passionate about working in the public sector to use my skills to quantify the impact of changes on health inequalities and help decision makers understand the wider significance of their choices.”Becca Naylor
Becca is joining at a time of increasing focus on health economic evaluations in the NHS. Recent HIN projects which have included this are:
Virtual Wards
The team worked with the NHS England London region and the York Health Economics Consortium to develop a virtual wards economic cost model. It can be used by local NHS decision makers to understand the economic consequences of virtual wards, and consider the overall economic viability of the service to guide commissioning decisions. This led to the development and publication of package of resources alongside the Virtual Wards Economic Cost Model.
- AI in Head MRI
There is limited evidence on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) for brain MRI scans. Working with King’s College London, the HIN developed an early budget impact analysis to inform future research on the national adoption of a commercially available AI application. It is designed to support clinicians reviewing brain MRI scans for suspected stroke and melanoma brain metastases across NHS radiology departments in England.
Dr Andrew Walker, Programme Director for Insights and Evaluation sumarised:
“Efficiency, productivity and value for money have become a huge focus for the NHS over the last few years and so any decision to implement innovation must understand the impact on these areas as well.
Becca’s experience further strengthens our skills and it’s great that she is joining us at this exciting time.”