Listening Before the Crash: A Response to Roy Lilley’s “Chip shop” Article

At Akumen we are big fans of Roy Lilley’s often controversial, but to the point musings. His most recent opinion piece regarding CQC makes a powerful point: if we keep inspecting care services after things go wrong, we’re not improving anything—we’re just writing up the wreckage. His suggestion to scrap the CQC and replace it with a real-time forecasting service is bold, but it’s also grounded in common sense.

At Akumen, we agree with the spirit of Roy’s proposal—and we’re ready to support NHS teams to do exactly what he describes. We have the capability to triangulate patient, employee and inspection domain data in real time.

Roy lists six areas that should be measured in real time to spot problems early and act fast. Here’s how Akumen supports each one:

1. Workforce Stability and Morale

We help organisations listen to what staff are really saying—across surveys, exit interviews, and day-to-day feedback. Our platform picks up early signs of burnout, stress, and low morale, so leaders can act before people walk away.

2. Leadership and Governance Stability

We analyse how staff talk about leadership—trust, visibility, decision-making. If confidence is dropping or communication is unclear, we flag it. These are often the first signs of deeper problems.

3. Financial Stress

Budgets show numbers. We show pressure. Akumen surfaces the language of stretched teams, resource worries, and workarounds—long before the finance team sees the impact.

4. Patient Flow and Access

We listen to complaints, call logs, and frontline feedback to spot delays, bottlenecks, and unmet needs. Our insights help teams respond quickly and improve access before targets are missed.

5. Safety and Incident Trends

We don’t just count incidents—we listen to the reasons behind them. Akumen picks up patterns in whistleblowing reports, staff concerns, and informal feedback, helping leaders fix problems at the root. Our Psychological Safety module speaks to this point perfectly.

6. Population Health and Geography

We help systems understand what’s happening in communities—especially those facing health inequalities. Our platform listens to local voices and maps where support is failing, so action can be targeted and fair.

We’re Not Watching from the Bridge—We’re Already Making the Call

Roy’s image of someone watching a motorway pile-up from a bridge is striking. But with Akumen, you don’t have to wait for the crash. Our platform listens in real time, spots risks early, and helps teams act fast. We don’t need £3bn or a clipboard—we need smart listening, ethical tech, and a commitment to act.

If you’re ready to move from reactive inspection to proactive support, we’re here to help. Let’s stop writing up what went wrong—and start listening to what’s going wrong, before it’s too late. Written not from a room above a chip shop, but a room on the North Cornish Coast!

Read the original article from Roy Lilley here. Contact Eross@akumen.co.uk for more information on how Akumen can support your organisation.