A team at the University of Manchester is setting up a rapid-response evaluation service to assess new NHS innovations as they are introduced, not years later. The problem is straightforward: the NHS urgently needs new ways of delivering care, but rolling out untested changes risks wasting money, harming patients, or widening health inequalities. Traditional evaluations take too long to inform decisions. This service will cut that delay by using a pragmatic, mixed-methods approach—selecting the fastest rigorous method for each question, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all gold standard. Co-production with patients, commissioners, and the public is built into every stage, from choosing which innovations to evaluate to disseminating findings. If successful, the service will give NHS decision-makers timely, usable evidence on whether a new technology, role, or way of working actually works and for whom. This could prevent ineffective practices from becoming embedded while accelerating adoption of those that genuinely improve care. The project does not test a specific innovation; it builds the infrastructure to evaluate many innovations quickly, protecting both patients and the public purse.
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Background Identifying and applying innovative approaches to delivering health and care services is of paramount importance to the long-term sustainability of the NHS. However, innovation without adequate evaluation can lead to the misattribution of effects and adoption of new technologies, roles, practices and ways of working without proven benefits. Evaluation is critical in informing innovation within the NHS, helping patients and professionals gain access to the most effective and acceptable care. Evaluation also protects services and patients from innovations not yet ready to realise their potential or that widen existing health inequalities. However, evaluation needs to be conducted quickly and efficiently if it is to provide timely information for decisionmakers. Design and Methods We are a multidisciplinary team from The University of Manchester with expertise in all aspects of evaluating health and social care. We will take an interdisciplinary, pragmatic approach to applied health research and evaluation. We will strike a balance between rigour and efficiency and provide timely evidence that is used by decisionmakers and policymakers. Co-production is integral to our approach. We have a track record of working closely with commissioners, providers of services and with patients and the public to make sure research is relevant to all of them. Working within this overarching model of co-production our approach will entail: 1. Question specification and prioritisation 2. Establishing what is already known or not known about a given innovation 3. Theory guided evaluation using a range of health services research methodologies Our focus will be on selecting the most rigorous, feasible and rapid approach that we can use for the questions specified. Often no single type of evidence on its own is sufficient to make judgements on whether an innovation is worth pursuing further: each evaluation project could include several questions that drive data collection and synthesis. We will draw on a range of methodologies and expect most projects to have a ‘mixed methods’ approach. Patient and public involvement We will ensure that we actively listen to and involve citizens in all aspects of our work. We will do this by collaborating widely, including with Greater Manchester Patient and Community Involvement and Engagement (PCIE) forums we have worked with previously on multiple projects and with our existing networks of national PCIE groups. These forums have broad based representation from people with varied socio-economic and cultural backgrounds including under-represented communities. Members bring a range of skills, knowledge, voluntary and lived experience and will ensure that a diverse public voice informs the research that we do and the methods we use. Dissemination Our dissemination and knowledge mobilisation strategy is based around two core strategies (1) timeliness and (2) accessibility. Effective dissemination and knowledge mobilisation relies on timely access to good quality and relevant evidence, and we recognise the need to sustain relationships between researchers and the ultimate users of the research. We will actively engage with key stakeholders at all stages of the evaluation process to ensure evaluation relevance, efficient use of NIHR resources, and to maximise the impact and use of findings as they emerge.
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