Advancing Applied Analytics This funding programme aims to improve analytical capability in support of health and care services

Good quality analysis and the ability to use information effectively is an essential element in any learning health care system. Analysis can help shape care for individual patients as well as informing decisions for services or across organisations and health systems. 

The Health Foundation’s Advancing Applied Analytics programme aims to improve analytical capability in support of health and care services.

We are looking to support analysts who are working on local innovative and ambitious projects that can demonstrate how they will improve analytical capability in support of health and care services and provide lessons for the wider care system.  

In the fourth round of this programme we have £750,000 of funding to support up to 12 good quality projects that: 

• improve analytical capability and can show how this will support better care in the future
• are led by a local/regional NHS or social care provider or commissioning organisation including local authorities, though partnerships with other groups and sectors are welcome
• could benefit from funding of up to £75,000 per project 
• starts no later than September 2020 for a maximum duration of 15 months.

We are willing to consider applications on a broad range of topics, provided these can demonstrate how they will lead to improvements in analytical capability. We are interested in projects that address the capability deficiencies we identified in our report Understanding analytical capability in health care. For example:

• better understand and structure the problems faced by managers/clinicians  
• access and understand the evidence and information that can be brought to bear on a problem 
• apply appropriate and robust methods to manipulate information and data 
• communicate findings accurately and clearly.

For this round, we are especially interested:

1. Projects that help senior managers and clinicians understand the value of better analytics. So, for example we are keen to support initiatives that test out innovative approaches to engaging senior staff in data analytics. 
2. Projects that demonstrate a clear path from the initial project to longer-term and sustainable changes beyond the life of the individual project.  

The Health Foundation is a Living Wage Employer and a Living Wage Friendly Funder. Find out more about our status. 

Support from NHSX

For the first time, this fourth round of the Advancing Applied Analytics programme will be supported by NHSX. NHSX is leading the largest digital health and social care transformation programme in the world and aims to drive digital, analytical and tech maturity in local NHS organisations in order to improve care.

By supporting the Advancing Applied Analytics programme NHSX is focusing on these aims and on innovation in the NHS. NHSX will contribute to the selection process by nominating assessors to take part, alongside many other external stakeholders from across the UK and colleagues that act as peer reviewers. NHSX will also offer support to successful projects to facilitate sustained improvement and spread of innovation across health and social care. 

The Health Foundation will continue to lead and manage each project with the same approach as all previous rounds and will be responsible for final selection of successful projects. 

Further information can be found on the NHSX website. 

Advancing Applied Analytics project outputs and learnings

Outputs of projects funded by the Advancing Applied Analytics programme can be found in an open document resource developed and maintained by This Equals. This Equals helps organisations and citizens improve how they work with data and technology. This open document is a resource for analysts and data scientists working in the health and care sector to learn about and share different tools and resources. It can be found here.