Point of view from a non-analyst
Before working with analyst professionals or within an analytical department, the first thing that came to mind when I thought about analysis was people and numbers. That’s how I summed up analysis, with numbers and charts.
Having worked in Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) for over 4 years as a Personal Assistant (PA), my main role involves supporting Chief Economist Chris Mullin and Deputy Director Cressy MacDonald.
I work within the Chief Analyst Directorate: seven analytical teams sit under the directorate.
Chris leads DHSC’s analytical community, ensuring high‑quality evidence, oversight, data capability, and cross‑government analytical leadership.
I have been grateful to witness the extent of how analytical information is more than just numbers. It’s a story articulated through facts, statistics and gathering data. How this is presented can be done in various ways, including:
- building relationships and rapports between internal and external stakeholders
- constructing documents and briefings on vaccinations for various different diseases and infections
- building platforms to access and manage data strategically
- giving presentations on life expectancy, history on how health has evolved over the years and what protocols are in place for the department to make strategic decisions and implement new strategies
Analysis is so broad and yet so vital. The COVID-19 pandemic outlined a great deal of reliance on facts and figures. Without the numbers, people and data we cannot analyse a problem. This would mean that ministers and management could be left blindsided not knowing the extent of how big an issue really is. This is why analytical departments are vital in any organisation: we need the numbers, data, people and information about the relevant topics to create an overall picture of a given issue.
My job role as a PA also plays a vital role within analysis. My responsibilities involve:
- managing relationships to connect across departments
- maintaining effective communication and rapport with other analysts and directors
- collating analytical insights each week for DHSC senior stakeholders
- ensuring the Director of Analysis has space in their calendar to sign off important work and setting time aside to read through Impact Assessments
- supporting the Director of Analysis by identifying high priority actions
- ensuring it is clear which meetings Director of Analysis needs to prioritise in their calendar
Working as a PA contributes to the benefit of analysis, and I’m very thankful for the exposure, the seminars and emails I come across daily. It’s great to be part of a department that heavily relies on analysis.
Naana Afaidze-Hayford