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Code Review Buddies Network
The RAP Code Review Buddies Network is made up of people who code in the NHS, and who have an interest in RAP (Reproducible Analytical Pipelines).
Every 3 months, you will be randomly paired up with someone else in the Network. As a pair, you will arrange to meet up online and talk through some code you have written. You can then ask each other questions about the code and offer constructive comments. The intention of the Network is to help create connections between people working with healthcare-related code in the public sector, so that we can share best practice, ideas, and lessons learned.
The next round of the RAP Code Review Buddies Network will take place in October 2026. You will get an email to notify you of your buddy pairings in the week beginning 12th October 2026.
If you have written any code in the past three months for your role, in any language (such as SQL, R, or Python), then you have enough coding knowledge! People at all stages of their coding and RAP journey are very welcome. You must be employed in the NHS to be a part of the network.
By signing up to be a member of the network, you are committing to:
- Arrange and attend a 1 hour meeting with your assigned buddy
- Share some code you have written, and
- Provide constructive feedback and comments on your buddy's code
You will be allocated a different buddy once every 3 months.
We're suggesting a more relaxed approach to code review than might usually be the case, more along the lines of the "code walkthrough". This is because we recognise that code may not be publicly available, or that people may not feel confident with reviewing other people's code. We'd also like both people in the buddy assignment to feel like they are entering the process as equals – it's not intended to catch you out, or pick holes in your coding!
Most guidance on code review available online refers to a formal process, often using tools like GitHub. There are many helpful resources on code review available online, such as this excellent blogpost by Jack Kennedy. If you feel confident, take that approach; if not, you can adopt the more informal walkthrough approach suggested below. It’s up to you!
Before the meeting: Share your code if it is available online. Otherwise, briefly outline the business need that your code addresses, any specific questions/issues that you would like to discuss.
Suggest that you allocate 25 minutes (you'd do this twice, alternating the roles of person A and person B with your buddy)
- Person A walks through their code, whilst screensharing. (15 mins)
- You don’t need to examine your code individually, line by line – focus on the main “steps” in the code and what they are doing.
- Explore any specific challenges that you had to overcome, and how you did this.
- Are there any issues you’re still stuck on?
- Questions and discussion (10 mins). Person B explores:
- Was there anything new to you in the code that was shared?
- Have you encountered any similar issues or challenges – did you solve them in the same way, or differently?
- What suggestions for improvements or alternative approaches do you have, from a reproducibility perspective?
Even if your partner has written in R, and you only code in Python, it can still be useful to learn about their organisational context, their business problem, and how they approached it! You may not be able to offer specific code-related feedback but you will both still learn from the experience, and can share best practice, ideas, and lessons learned.
Please contact the organisers via Slack (account required) or email.
Please let the organisers know via Slack (account required) or email - you will be allocated a new buddy.