Title: Supporting policy development and evaluating change: a fast response analytical facility
Funder: Department of Health and Social Care

Abstract: Background In general, evidence-based health care has focused on patient level clinical decisions, using randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews to inform clinical practice. These methods, although they provide gold standard evidence of effectiveness, are not always feasible and appropriate in developing and evaluating new policies or policy change. This facility will provide expert advice and analysis using rigorous but appropriate methods to inform and evaluate policy. Aims The overall aim of our collaboration is to deliver a high quality, responsive service to inform all stages of national policy development, implementation and evaluation. Specific aims will vary depending on the programme of research that develops. 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. These multiple methods and perspectives will be employed 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 provide useful, practical policy lessons using the most appropriate analysis. Methods will include horizon scanning, 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. We will use existing administrative and other data whenever possible, including hospital episodes statistics, monthly and quarterly hospital data and other NHS England performance data series, primary care and prescribing data, cohort study data (e.g. the Millennium Cohort Study), and survey data (e.g. Understanding Society, Health Survey for England). Research team A 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 achieve a rigorous and responsive approach. The two organisations have excellent and longstanding reputations for multidisciplinary, innovative, rigorous and influential policy research. Team members have extensive experience of timely delivery of high quality research projects to inform policy development and evaluate change. By working together we increase the range of skills and experience we can access and simultaneously provide greater capacity to manage workflow. Potential impact and influence Influencing policy development and improving the evidence base for policy making are the prime drivers of this programme of research and analysis. All of the projects will aim to influence and impact on health policy and its implementation. Reports will be prepared for the Department of Health, and where appropriate we will share findings more widely by developing outputs for publication and wider dissemination to a variety of audiences including policy makers, managers, practitioners and the public.

Lay abstract: Policy-making is the process by which governments and others translate their political vision into programmes and actions which will influence desired outcomes in the real world. Doctors and other health professionals are rightly expected to base decisions about treatments on good evidence of what works, but policy decisions often lack clear links to an evidence base. This is partly because researchers have not always made enough effort to ensure that their research findings are produced and circulated in a way and at a time that is most useful to policy makers. There is a balance between research that is well-conducted but also sufficiently timely to be useful. In this work programme, we will try to achieve that balance. New data can be time consuming to collect, so where possible we will use existing sources of information to inform the development of health policy and to encourage evaluation of the success or failure of newly implemented reforms.

Research activity codes: 8.3 POLICY, ETHICS AND RESEARCH GOVERNANCE
Health categories: GENERIC HEALTH RELEVANCE