Award Title: Partnership for REsponsive Policy Analysis and REsearch (PREPARE): a fast response research and analytical facility to support policy development and evaluation.
Funder: Department of Health and Social Care

Abstract: Background  Evidence-informed policy presents challenges to policy makers and researchers, in a context that is often highly political and rapidly changing. Researchers are trained to use the most robust empirical methods, but this can mean that studies and reporting do not match the needs or timetable of policy decisions. There is a balance between research that is well-conducted but sufficiently focused and timely to be useful. This facility will provide expert advice and analysis using rigorous but appropriate methods to inform and evaluate policy.  Aims  Our overall aim is to continue to deliver a high quality, responsive service to inform all stages of national policy development, implementation and evaluation. Specific aims will vary depending on individual requests and projects.  Research plan and methods  Our approach is multidisciplinary and inter-professional, bringing together an experienced and established team providing expertise in a wide range of methods applied in varied settings. We will employ appropriate methods and perspectives to develop and refine the evidence base for policy, developing specific research plans and methods in response to each project brief. Balancing timeliness with scientific rigour, we will inform policy with relevant, practical analysis. Methods will include scoping research, literature reviews, secondary analysis, economic and statistical modelling, surveys of organisations, staff, patients and the public, and qualitative interviews and focus group discussions. Whenever possible we will use existing administrative and other data sources, including published hospital and NHS performance data, primary care and prescribing data, cohort studies (e.g. the Millennium Cohort Study), and surveys (e.g. Understanding Society, Health Survey for England).  Research team  A multi-skilled team of researchers from the King s Fund and the University of York will work in partnership, combining expertise in analysis and policy making to deliver rigorous and responsive research. The two organisations have excellent and longstanding reputations for multidisciplinary, innovative, rigorous and influential policy research, and working together we maximise the range of knowledge, skills and experience available. We have a successful history of joint working to deliver the existing PREPARE programme.  Timelines for delivery  Timescales will vary depending on the individual research project, but in all cases, we aim to respond within two working days to initial requests, confirming feasibility and remit. Research questions will be agreed in a rapid iterative process, after which projects will begin in earnest. For substantive projects, following regular meetings and interim presentations, main findings will be provided to policy colleagues within three months, followed by a process of agreed revisions, internal and external peer review, and production and dissemination of a final report as appropriate.  Anticipated impact and dissemination  Influencing policy development and improving the evidence base for policy making are the prime drivers of this programme. All projects will aim to inform and impact on health policy and its implementation. Reports will be prepared for the Department of Health and Social Care, and where appropriate we will share findings more widely by developing outputs for publication and wider dissemination to a variety of audiences including NHS managers, practitioners and the public.

Lay Abstract: What are our aims?  We aim to provide information, evidence and analysis to inform health policy decisions in England.  Why do we need this research?  Policy-making is the process by which governments and others translate their political vision into reality. Health professionals are expected to base clinical decisions on good evidence of what works, but policy makers often lack clear links to an evidence base. This is partly because researchers have not always produced and shared research in a way which meets policy makers  needs at the right time.   Since 2015 we have successfully provided a  fast-response research facility  for the Department of Health and Social Care. We respond rapidly to the requests for information and analysis from people who are responsible for policy decisions. We are very keen to continue this and to build on our strong and effective partnership.  How will we approach the research?  There is sometimes a trade-off between producing either high-quality evidence (which can be time-consuming), and providing information that is less rigorous scientifically but is timely and useful to policy makers who are working to tight deadlines. We will take a balanced approach to this, responding to urgent evidence needs by drawing on a large team with a range of skills and experience of working with policy makers.  Although generating new data can be time-consuming and expensive, we aim to provide reports to the Department of Health and Social Care within three months. To achieve this, we will use advanced techniques to analyse existing information so that we inform policy-making usefully and efficiently with good research and analysis. We will also advise on how to evaluate the longer-term impact of new initiatives.  How will we involve patients and the public?  We will involve patients and members of the public who may be affected by the areas of policy being considered. We will create a standing panel of patient and public involvement champions to contribute to the programme. They will help us to refine research questions and the approach we take, to communicate findings clearly and to all audiences, and ensure that a public voice is heard in policy research.  How will we share our findings?  We have a website (york.ac.uk/prepare) where our main reports are available to everyone, along with short, accessible summaries. In future we plan to involve our PPI champions in writing summaries, and we plan to experiment with other forms of communication such as infographics, animations, video abstracts and podcasts.  We work closely with colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care to make sure that the findings reach decision-makers, to develop and improve evidence-informed policy making in all areas of health and care.

Research Activity Codes: 8.3 POLICY, ETHICS AND RESEARCH GOVERNANCE;8.1 ORGANISATION AND DELIVERY OF SERVICES
Health Categories: GENERIC HEALTH RELEVANCE