‘I wish I was macho instead of just deep’ – a webinar for the Midlands Analyst Network

‘I wish I was macho instead of just deep’ – a webinar for the Midlands Analyst Network

by Marc Farr

23 September 2025

Last week I gave a talk to the Midlands Analyst Network. Analysts being analysts, there were interlopers from Kent up to Scotland there. The talk was recorded and is available via the lovely Menti I was asked a series of questions which I’ve briefly answered here.

• How did the post of chief analytical officer come into being? That role does not exist in my (NHS Scotland) board, and its desperately needed.

I made it up. Then I made up the role of Chief Data and Analytical Officer too as it’s important that we have control of the data pipes so that the ‘oil’ coming through them is high quality. I’ve said a number of times that the evolution of the CIO over the last 25 years has been a massive missed opportunity in terms of integrating at the data layer – we have too many incredibly expensive and siloed computer systems around that nobody has thought to harvest the data from.

So, write a JD for one in Scotland (borrow from ours), advertise it, fill it and crack on. Build it and they will come.

• When are we going to see data become a key part of clinical JD’s in the funding challenged environment we are in.

Good question this, I’ve been toying with a CCAO or CCDO or CCDAO role at our trust. It would be a great opportunity and I think we would have a lot of interest.  Currently we have CCIOs, most but not all, are observed with the latest thing that you can physically touch; an ambient recording system, a Da Vinci robot. We need some docs that love maths, let’s go and find them.

• How does one get on a patient advisory group? especially thinking if not working in a hospital (e.g. ICB/CSU/NHS-E)

Speak to your local ICB Comms team, I would be amazed if you don’t have some sort of data and digital involvement group especially if the FDP and the SDE are to be a success.

• How can we move analysts away from being “reactive” so we can deliver more “insights/advanced analysis/deep-dive studies”.

Ask not what your profession can do for you but what you can do for your profession. Set aside a slot each week for ‘deep learning’ – a few hours of no email, no Teams and get a group of clinicians, managers and analysts together and really concentrate on what would actually happen if you did the analysis. You’re not a clinician and occasionally you’ll have sick leave so if you hide for a few hours the world won’t stop.

• Thanks for sending those letters to Ming Tang, they were great and I felt represented as a data person

Good to hear, safety in numbers and all that.

• Right now it feels like our analyst community are nervous and reticent to speak up about things that might rock the boat due to the fact our jobs are under threat. Have you got any thoughts on this?

Speak truth to Power. If you can sleep well and would defend yourself in court then go for it. People ‘above’ you will respect you more if just try and do the right thing each day – sounds trite but we’re here to improve things for patients so just come in with a smile on your face, work hard for patients and go home on time.

• In our organisation managers have been promoted because they don’t make waves.  How do we have a voice when our own managers silence us with their passivity?

Work diagonally; create networks in different directions within your organisation. Join a network and develop your voice through that as opposed to necessarily just in your single organisation.

• What can an analyst do when they aren’t asked to analyse?  Our team provides data in a just-do-it environment.  Healthcare professionals are trying to do the analysis without us.

Politely challenge, nobody will kill you and I find that done carefully you’ll get a good response. Keep coming back to ‘What are you trying to achieve?’ There’s literally no point you doing the analysis unless there is a genuine decision to be made.

• “I just hope/wish that our BI Lead is/was here today. If not I will be telling them to watch the video.”

 Lovely.

• We already have lots of networks – but the right people don’t necessarily attend and engage. An organisation needs a BI Lead that is passionate about BI which is not always the case! How do we change?

Be the BI Lead that is passionate.  Doesn’t have to be the one nominally in charge.

• Do you think we had more networking across organisations during Covid that we do now we are in organisational offices again?

No idea, maybe.

• I think soft skills are really key to move the analyst community into a community that matters (to the NHS).

Good point, I agree. It’s very good personal development to get away from the data and into the room where decisions are made, where supposedly the adults work. Be macho instead of just deep.

• The approach to questions in these meetings is really poor.  We had 15 minutes available and were ten minutes through before we even looked at Menti.

Cry me a river.

• When you put yourself ‘out there’ you can get overwhelmed with the amount of engagement. We need a co-ordinated plan to handle comms and budget is an issue!

That’s true, you can but you will make lots of lovely new friends that will have your back. I have certainly benefitted from standing on the shoulders of people that work in Manchester, London, Birmingham, Newcastle and so on when presenting recommendations or views that ‘I’ have developed.  Budget is a misnomer, be creative, get sponsorship, offer to teach, mentor and develop each other. Network to the max.

• 100% need an understanding what’s actually happening to understand the data about it. It rarely happens-partly because it takes time/money. I now ask friends and read fora for experiences.

Carve out your diary creatively for deeper learning sessions.  Agree re friends – I called a senior bod last week at the HMRA to get a view on whether the latest FDP development is a medical device or not [because walk dogs together] – use all networks, personal or business.

• Most of the time analysts or senior analysts do their analytical part and don’t get an opportunity to involve in decision making or policy devp. what are methods to enable this happen

Prove yourself, promote yourself and your team, brand them, win awards. Then sharpen your elbows.

• It feels as though learning and advancement has to be pushed up from the bottom since we don’t have analytical leadership in NHS Scotland. How do we create those opportunities for us become leaders?

Very happy to support from south of the border. Please use all of our resources be it the NCF, the CDAON etc etc.

• Would like to hear how insight and analytics could being incorporated as a  prioritised BAU in NHS? Should it be standard way of working to have analytics as an key element of any NHS work?

Agree, there’s some rudimentary management science coming (see the brilliant Stephen Wyatt’s extensive output for example) but have a good think about the stages of your analysis. The final one, evaluation, for example is too often ignored.

• Rarely time to explore data – it’s just extracted and done. No attempt to review validity and improve/correct things. That costs! But it’s leading to meaningless data outputs.

Think how you can take responsibility to resolve that. Genuinely.