Experienced NHS data scientist with interests in predictive modelling, machine learning, text mining, and teaching

My work focuses on statistical analysis of National Health Service (NHS) data, primarily on designing and modelling data, as well as measuring change using national data, including the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS) and Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). I work primarily in R and SQL Server, as well as Python and SAS, and have experience with statistical modelling and machine learning methods. I completed my PhD at UCL, on modelling NHS incident reporting data using using quantitative models and text mining methods.

I advise and train NHS teams and the private sector on using data to manage hospitals, monitor quality, performance, patient safety, and mortality. I am an experienced trainer, presenter and post-graduate teacher. I have built and released several R packages and a Senior Fellow in the NHS-R Community.

Key skills

University College London (UCL)

PhD Applied Statistics and Machine Learning

London, UK

2020

Thesis: Statistical methods for NHS incident reporting data

University of Birmingham

PGCert. Public Health

Birmingham, UK

2014

MPH programme, left partially unfinished due to commencing PhD, finished as PGCert instead.

CIPD / City College Coventry

CIPD Certificate in Training Practice

Coventry, UK

2009

University of Manchester

BSc Microbiology with Industrial Experience

Birmingham, UK

2006

Thesis: A model of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the Cystic Fibrosis lung. Placement: One-year with Arch Biocides

Head of Patient Safety Measurement

NHS England

UK

2022 - Present

• Managing portfolio of Patient Safety Lead - System Analysis and Delivery (below), as well as analytical team for measuring patient safety improvement programmes, and ad-hoc analysis needs.
• Developing and implementing measurement plans and methods.
• Advising NHSE and external stakeholders on use of data and understanding of patient safety.

Patient Safety Lead - System Analysis and Delivery

NHS England

UK

2021 - 2022

• Management of analytical team, including regular, ad-hoc and official statistics work
• Developing and implementing new methods for analysing incident data, forecasting, and measuring improvement.
• Natural language processing projects including analysis of incident reporting data
• Contributing to wider NHSE/I analytics work, data science infrastructure, and analyst development.

Senior Data Scientist

Health Informatics, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS FT

Birmingham, UK

2020 - 2021

• Managing and delivering senior analyst functions in HED (see below)
• Managing informatics training function and team, including strategy and delivery, and commercial R training courses
• Line management and leading data science projects in research and production, such as prediction of missing categorical data, survival modelling, and risk prediction from electronic patient records.

Intelligence Analyst

Healthcare Evaluation Data (HED), Health Informatics, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS FT

Birmingham, UK

2012 - 2019

• Statistical lead and senior analyst, focused on building predictive models in R and SAS, indicator design, SQL database infrastructure and processes, as well as quality assurance.
• Building online, HES-based, national analysis tools: www.hed.nhs.uk.
• Highly involved in customer support, training and translating between analysts, business teams and users.
• Line management and team work planning, using Agile methods.
• Run local R usergroup, contributing to national NHS-Community, and established a commercial R training programme.

Data Manager (AIR Study)

Clinical Immunology (sub-contracted from UHB), University of Birmingham

Birmingham, UK

2012 - 2016

• Data extraction and outcome linkage for trial participants, from UHB attendance and clinical data systems.

Informatics Analyst

Health Informatics, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS FT

Birmingham, UK

2011 - 2012

• Producing monthly reporting outputs for UHB clinical and performance management functions
• Specialist analysis, dashboard building, and information development for HIV service.

Cancer Informatics Analyst

Arden Cancer Network

Coventry, UK

2010 - 2011

• Informatics support for network service improvement projects.
• Constructed cancer waiting times reporting system and various automated templates.

Information Officer

West Midlands Cancer Intelligence Unit (WMCIU)

Birmingham, UK

2009 - 2010

• Producing statistics for information requests.
• Investigative analysis, e.g. difference from nationally published figures and research data.
• Supervising/validating work of junior analysts.

Use of Evidence

First year UCL medical school course on study design and statistics. Led a tutorial group over the course and delivered lectures to full course group.

London, UK

2016 - 2018

Statistical Methods in Epidemiology

Teaching assistant on MSc Data Science for Health, UCL Farr Institute/LSHTM

London, UK

2016 - 2017

Understanding the NHS

Assessing first year medical student assignments on NHS structure, history, and current/future challenges.

London, UK

2016 - 2017

Research dissertations

Second assessor on MSc Mental Health dissertations for students with quantitative studies.

London, UK

2016 - 2017

Ethnicity and risk of death in patients hospitalised for COVID-19 infection in the UK: an observational cohort study in an urban catchment area

BMJ Open Respiratory Research. 2020;7:e000644.

N/A

2020

Sapey E, Gallier S, Mainey C, Nightingale P, McNulty D, Crothers H, Evison F, Reeves K, Pagano D, Denniston A, Niranthrakumar K, Diggle P, Ball S

Driving R adoption in an NHS information service: barriers and solutions

Talk at Enterprise Applications of the R Language (EARL) conference

London, UK

2019

Using funnel plots and CUSUM techniques to monitor hospital-standardised mortality

Talk at Royal Statistical Society Conference

Belfast, UK

2019

Modelling Incident Reporting in the NHS

Poster for Royal Statistical Society Conference

Cardiff, UK

2018

Brief Report: Immunization of HIV-Infected Adults in the UK With Haemophilus influenzae b/Meningococcal C Glycoconjugate and Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccines

J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2016 Nov 1;73(3):287-293.

N/A

2016

MacLennan C, Richter A, Hodson J, Faustini S, Birtwistle J, Whitelegg A, Chigiga J, Singo M, Walker-Haywood J, Mulugeta B, Masuka S, Mainey C, Plant T, Drayson M; Manavi K