Our latest policy reports

The New Childhood

Children aged 13 and under are often overlooked in discussions of mental health support, despite this being a formative period in which emotional difficulties first emerge, and patterns of seeking help begin to take shape.

The New Childhood brings together multiple sources of evidence – including children’s own perspectives, Shout conversation data, practitioner experience, and expert interviews – to examine the mental health needs of younger children and the extent to which current systems are meeting them. 

Taken together, the findings suggest that this group is both developmentally distinct and insufficiently served by existing models of support.

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The Global State of Patient Safety 2025

This report from the Institute of Global Health Innovation and Patient Safety Watch is accompanied by an updated patient safety dashboard. Comprising 108 indicators across 209 countries and spanning 25 years, the dashboard provides a single point of access to the latest global patient safety data.

As in 2023, Norway ranks first out of OECD countries in the patient safety ranking, with the UK remaining in 21st place out of 38. Few countries showed significant movement since 2023, suggesting that meaningful change in patient safety takes time.

Access the report and the dashboard

Building the Future of UK Health Data

This report presents a strategic vision for the NHS in England to lead in life sciences and innovation through ethical, sustainable health data use aligned with core national health service values.

We possess the capacity to shape a future where health data drives scientific breakthroughs, strengthens the NHS, and delivers equitable public benefit.

This vision demands clearer ambition, bolder commitments and sustained focus on maintaining life sciences and innovation leadership in a significantly more competitive global landscape.

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Previous policy reports

Embracing Digital

Embracing digital: is COVID-19 the catalyst for lasting change? [PDF, 8.9MB] explores the uptake and impact of digital technologies in health and social care since the COVID-19 pandemic. Produced in partnership with EY and YouGov. 

Harnessing the Power of Data

Harnessing the power of data: can reality catch up with ambition? [PDF, 14.9MB] highlights the key barriers and enablers of the successful use of data-driven technologies in healthcare. It also offers a diagnostic toolkit for health and social care organisations to determine readiness to enable data and analytics. Produced in partnership with EY. 

Impact of Climate Change on Mental Health

Impact of Climate Change on Mental Health (PDF) explores the inter-relationship between the climate crisis and mental health and presents a series of recommendations to address this growing global issue. Co-authored with the Grantham Institute.

Improving Cybersecurity in the NHS

The Cyber Report 2020 [PDF, 16.1MB] offers key insights for the health and care sector to consider for future cybersecurity practices, policies and protocols, in order to protect against cyber attacks.

NHS Data

NHS Data: Maxising its impact on the health and wealth of the United Kingdom offers a strategic framework and underlying principles to underpin how health data should be used to improve patient care.

Universal Health Coverage

Evaluating the impact of private providers on health and health systems [PDF, 727KB] recommends how to maximise positive impact and minimise the risk of harming patients, fragile health systems and efforts to achieve universal health coverage. 

World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) reports

2020 WISH reports

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2018 WISH reports

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2016 WISH reports

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2015 WISH reports

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2013 WISH reports

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2012 Global Health Policy Summit reports

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