Insights
Bringing together specialist expertise
Overview
Our Insights service brings together specialist expertise in evaluation, health economics, data analytics, and patient and staff insights to generate robust, actionable evidence for health and care teams. Our multidisciplinary team—spanning analysts, mixed methods researchers, health economists, clinicians, programme managers and digital health specialists—supports local, regional and national partners to understand impact and make informed decisions around innovation adoption and scale.
Embedded in south London’s health and care system, we draw on deep local networks and incorporate lived experience throughout our work. We have specialist expertise in generating evidence and insight to support the development, adoption and scaling of innovation and approaches to tackling inequalities.
Expertise
- Mixed Methods Evaluation
We design and deliver full end‑to‑end evaluations covering outcomes, value for money, patient and staff experience, implementation barriers and inequalities. We lead real-world evaluations, providing decision-makers with actionable insights and recommendations, and co‑deliver research with academic partners. We use established implementation framework to inform evaluation design and delivery. - Data Analytics
We have a team of analysts offering advanced analytics, including needs assessments, geospatial mapping, dashboard development, automation and bespoke data collection tools. We also provide data science and simulation for scenario testing using system dynamics. - Evaluation Design Consultancy & Quality Assurance
We help partners design and deliver their own high‑quality evaluations through advisory support, logic model development, metric selection, evidence gap analysis and independent quality assurance. This includes alignment with standards such as NICE Evidence Standards for Digital Health Technologies.
- Health Economics
Our team of health economists provides a full suite of economic evaluation and modelling methodologies, including cost‑effectiveness, cost‑utility, cost‑benefit, ROI analysis, budget impact modelling and bespoke economic tools for innovators and commissioners. - Patient & Staff Insight
We specialise in generating meaningful patient and staff insights that help shape better services. Our team use interviews, focus groups, surveys and co‑design methods to understand experiences, identify barriers, and uncover what matters most to the people delivering and receiving care. We have direct experience of user‑based co‑design and user experience approaches, and established frameworks for behavioural insights (e.g. COM-B, EAST). - Capacity & Capability building
We deliver tailored training and development in evaluation, health economics, qualitative methods, survey design and more. This builds on the in-house offer developed for our staff through the HIN Academy training and development programme.
New models of care
NHS 111 Mental Health in London
Alongside UCLPartners, we evaluated the first 11 months of London’s new 24/7 NHS 111 Mental Health line, analysing patient and staff feedback and data from 74,020 calls to understand demand, workforce models and digital maturity. The review highlighted variation in implementation, lower-than-expected call volumes and positive shifts in referral patterns compared with the physical-health 111 pathway. Service users felt listened to, though telephony and system-integration challenges affected consistency. Findings informed NHS England’s next development phase.
South West London CVD Prevention Decathlon
We delivered a mixed-methods evaluation of a 10-week cardiovascular prevention programme, assessing behaviour change, clinical outcomes and participant experience. The programme achieved a 75% completion rate and showed clinically meaningful reductions in cholesterol, blood pressure and weight among those with elevated baselines. Participants also reported greater confidence and improved lifestyle habits. The findings supported future commissioning decisions.
Service user insight
Public perceptions of Digital Mental Health Technologies
We undertook a national survey, collecting views from over 850 people to understand expectations, barriers, and experiences of digital mental health tools. Participants valued flexibility and anonymity but highlighted concerns around trust, usability, and data privacy.
Insights from the research demonstrated the need for better support and clearer guidance for users. The findings directly supported NHS England’s digital mental health adoption plans.
Using patient insights to shape NHS 111 Online
We ran user-centred workshops and surveys with recent NHS 111 users to explore digital readiness, accessibility, and preferences around using digital options to access care.
Participants helped refine language, navigation, and safeguarding considerations across the digital journey. Their feedback shaped NHS England London’s redesign of NHS 111 Online and improved communications about when and how to use digital triage.
Tackling Inequalities
Lewisham Health Equity Teams Programme
We evaluated Health Equity Teams across six Primary Care Networks in Lewisham, involving 70+ community champions and 2,500+ residents in outreach, workshops and co-designed activities addressing local inequalities. The programme strengthened community partnerships and improved access to culturally relevant health information. Findings informed recommissioning and strengthened governance and measurement for future cycles.
Rough Sleeping and Mental Health Programme
We evaluated the Rough Sleeping and Mental Health Programme, an integrated outreach model supporting people sleeping rough across south London. The evaluation found improved access to mental health support, clearer multi-agency pathways and stronger collaboration despite workforce and data challenges. Recommendations helped shape future delivery for this highly marginalised group.
Race and Health Observatory Learning and Action Network
Alongside and UCLPartners, we evaluated an anti-racism-focused Quality Improvement (QI) programme across maternity and neonatal pathways in England. The programme built capability through training, coaching and practical tools, while teams co-designed changes to address inequalities in areas like post-partum haemorrhage and maternal mental health. Findings showed strengthened organisational commitment and early improvements to equity-focused practice.
HEAL-D: diabetes education for African & Caribbean communities
We supported the evaluation of HEAL-D Online, a culturally tailored diabetes self-management programme. Participants reported strong engagement and high acceptability, with online delivery improving accessibility. Findings supported further consideration of HEAL-D for wider rollout beyond south London.
Digital Health Technologies
Digitally-enabled clinical scientist-led hypertrophic cardiomyopathy clinic
We evaluated a digital-first, clinical scientist-led pathway for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, reviewing effectiveness, workflow and patient experience. The model improved clinic flow, made better use of specialist expertise and delivered highly positive patient feedback. Findings showed strong potential for broader adoption of similar models.
Virtual wards in south west London
We evaluated virtual wards in Sutton, Kingston and Richmond, analysing activity, multi-disciplinary team approaches, monitoring technology and patient pathways. Virtual wards were found to provide safe, effective home-based care with key enablers including continuous monitoring, clear referral pathways and strong governance. Findings informed ongoing refinement of the virtual ward strategy for south west London.
Remote‑monitoring of patients with rheumatoid arthritis
In partnership with King’s Improvement Science, we evaluated the scale-up of a remote‑monitoring service for stable rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients across six London hospitals. The mixed‑methods evaluation combined a rapid review, service‑level data, a patient survey and interviews with patients and staff, guided by COM‑B and EPIS frameworks. Patient engagement was high and they reported the service was easy to use, and improved access and responsiveness; staff views were more mixed owing to workflow and rollout differences across sites. Overall, the evaluation showed remote monitoring can safely support stable RA follow‑up while highlighting implementation enablers needed for sustainable scale‑up in routine care.
Data analytics
South London health inequalities dashboard
We created an interactive dashboard showing protected characteristics, deprivation, life expectancy and other indicators across boroughs and Integrated Care Systems. It enables comparison across geographies and supports more targeted commissioning and planning to address inequalities.
Equity of access – severe mental illness and physical health checks
We analysed physical health check completion for people with severe mental illness across nine London mental health trusts, identifying variation by age, gender, ethnicity, deprivation and diagnosis. Findings guided pan-London improvement efforts to reduce unwarranted variation and improve equitable access.
Modelling 111 digital transformation uptake
We applied System Dynamics to simulate the 10-year sustainability of digital signposting for NHS 111 dental callers. Following IVR messaging changes, the study highlighted the mechanisms behind uptake drivers, the service’s resilience to demand fluctuations, and its long-term viability. Furthermore, the analysis demonstrated the intervention’s effectiveness in bridging age-related inequalities.
Health economics
Virtual ward economic cost model
Alongside the York Health Economics Consortium, we developed a cost model enabling Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to assess full pathway costs and consequences of virtual wards, including workforce time, technology costs and admissions avoided. The tool was co-designed with ICBs and was found to be clear, practical and valuable for both planning and retrospective evaluation.
Economic case for change for adopting an AI model as an adjunct to standard care
Alongside clinical academics at King’s College London, we conducted economic analysis to address the current lack of health economic evidence surrounding the adoption of deep learning tools to support clinical workflow. Findings indicated that AI models in MRI scans of the brain have a potential to generate cost savings for the NHS.
The economic burden of paediatric congenital heart disease (CHD) in the UK
Alongside the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Paediatrics and Child Health, we have quantified the economic burden of CHD, in terms of healthcare and wider societal costs with the aim to identify areas where innovation may improve efficiency and clinical care. The analysis is based on inpatient and outpatient datasets extracted from Evelina Children Hospital’s records and extrapolated to provide national estimates
Work with us
Whether you’re testing or scaling innovation in real world settings, or seeking to address inequalities or unmet need, we can support you with high quality evidence, insight, economic evaluation and analytics to drive effective and equitable change in health and care.
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