Steve Black
I'm a data scientist who has been supporting the NHS to make better use of data for a decade and a half. I'm an expert in A&E data and performance, having more experience of the datasets than most of the people still working on them in the civil service.
I'm @sib313 on Twitter and blog at https://policyskeptic.blogspot.co.uk
matt_black is a pseudonym I needed to use when working for big consulting and the NHS so I didn't have to get permission before commenting. I now work independently.
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: Trusts are to blame for the need to cut staff, not NHSE
NHS staffing cuts have sparked alarm, but budget mismanagement may be the real issue, not NHS England’s cost-saving demands
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: The poverty of positive thinking
The NHS England’s penchant for positive spin on performance belies a deeper need for honesty and hope, crucial for organisational turnaround, writes Steve Black
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: Why the Arts Council should have funded the planning guidance
The NHS planning guidance lacks focus. Too many goals prevent prioritisation of what is important, and fails to reflect on and learn from past actions, writes Steve Black
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: Long A&E waits kill 35 people daily; why isn’t NHSE more concerned?
NHS England’s response to claims of excess deaths due to long A&E waits leaves a lot to be desired, writes Steve Black
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: Digital workforce plan virtually ignores the greatest challenge
The draft NHS digital workforce plan leaked to HSJ fails to diagnose the causes of the biggest workforce problems or to present an effective action plan, writes Steve Black
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: magical thinking is driving the NHS’s adoption of AI
NHS’s fervent embrace of AI lacks critical analysis and overlooks many potential problems, risking futile investment in technological solutions over more practical problem-solving, writes Steve Black
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: The good, the bad, and the ugly truth of productivity
This year’s Nuffield Trust summit shed light on the challenges of improving productivity, from empty promises to the complexities of AI, while also exploring the cultural barriers hindering meaningful conversations on the topic, writes Steve Black
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: The worst conspiracy theory in history
Via a deep dive into the 1982 Conservative Cabinet memo, Steve Black sheds light on the NHS’s enduring resistance to privatisation throughout its extensive history
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: the bed occupancy metric is useless, but automation can fix the problem
NHS’s reluctance to automate data collection hinders operational efficiency. Real-time insights are crucial for tackling waiting times effectively
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: The six ways the NHS screws up making things better
Steve Black sets out the six steps to developing and implementing good policy – and then examines how the NHS too often fails at each of those steps.
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: Fixing the NHS in 30 years won’t help it survive till then
Despite some commendable insights on the NHS’s challenges, a new commission report fails to explain why historic ideas and recommendations repeatedly fail to take hold.
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: The NHS deserves better than this rhetorical bumfluff
Steve Black sheds light on how the portrayal of misaligned priorities and superficial solutions for the NHS crisis is leading to neglect of urgent problems
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: An ill-disciplined NHS is to blame for the lack of capital spending
NHS England faces a productivity crisis due to chronic underinvestment in capital spending. Steve Black uncovers internal soft budget constraints as the root cause
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: Heed Machiavelli’s warning about the difficulties of change
Even when it has the right ideas, the NHS tends to undervalue the importance of arguing for the necessary changes they require, writes Steve Black
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: NHS leaders must be honest about the service’s poor performance
Steve Black accuses the NHS’s leadership of spinning bad news
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: I’m not giving up my bacon sandwiches and neither should you
Steve Black delves into an academic review’s claim that if the UK population all converted to veganism, the NHS would save about £7bn every year
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: The NHS has a management, not a funding, problem
Steve Black emphasises that the NHS’s future hinges on addressing organisational and cultural barriers to productivity, not just budget constraints
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: Let’s start the new year with a positive message about what the NHS can improve
Innovative surgical practices can significantly enhance NHS efficiency and productivity, but entrenched resistance and systemic challenges hinder widespread adoption. Overcoming obstacles is crucial for lasting improvement, writes Steve Black
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: The NHS should stop asking for bailouts
What the NHS needs is not more winter bailouts but a more consistent and sustained plan to tackle its underlying problems, writes Steve Black
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: Hospital drugs spend is rising steeply and we need to know why
Despite the NHS’s substantial £20bn annual expenditure on drugs and devices, transparency issues persist in understanding hospital medicine budgets, hindering effective analysis and improvement efforts in the face of evolving pharmaceutical pricing agreements, writes Steve Black