Rose-NET: Manchester-Leeds Collaborative National Evaluation Team

Aims

Our Rose-NET National Evaluation Team aims to conduct national evaluations of health and care innovations. We define innovation as ‘a novel set of behaviours, routines, and ways of working that are discontinuous from previous practice/policy, directed at improving… outcomes and implemented by planned and coordinated actions’.

Background

Our collaboration between the University of Manchester, University of Leeds and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust brings together expertise in evaluation methodology, co-production and dissemination.

Our expertise and experience spans evidence synthesis; surveys; observational and comparative methods; social and implementation science; impact and economic evaluation; qualitative and mixed methods; and patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE). We use co-production to develop research that provides the insights that evidence users need.

We are used to managing the complexities of national evaluations, such as the need for rapid results to inform commissioning decisions, changing service and policy priorities, and challenges of delivering ‘negative’ results.

We have experience in topics spanning health and social care (e.g. mental health, long-term conditions, end of life, frailty); service delivery and organisation (e.g. integration, digital health, primary care networks, social care, weekend hospital services); workforce (e.g. new roles in primary care, social prescribing, care homes); and financing and governance (e.g. incentives, resource allocation). Our leadership roles give us access to strong and diverse networks of academic disciplines and service and policy expertise.

Design and methods used Our evaluation process is designed around four stages. 1. Question specification and prioritisation 2. Evaluation scoping and design 3. Evaluation conduct 4. Dissemination, outputs and anticipated impact

Stage 1 and 2 are characterised by extensive co-production with patients, carers, service professionals and decision-makers to develop evaluation questions and designs which are rigorous, flexible and impactful.

In Stage 3, our conduct of evaluations makes use of available data to maximise our ability to answer questions efficiently and rigorously. We ensure that those taking part in the evaluation are diverse, so that we can explore whether innovations continue or exacerbate inequalities in access, experience and outcomes.

In Stage 4, our dissemination and knowledge mobilisation strategy is based on our implementation science expertise, providing decision-makers with timely access to good quality and relevant evidence, combined with close collaboration and on-going relationships. Patient and public involvement and stakeholder engagement

We have allocated significant resources to PPIE led by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. They will support a PPIE Advisory group as well as specific groups mobilised for individual evaluations. They will also provide training and support to our patient partners and to all our staff, to ensure that involvement and co-production are built into the operation of Rose-NET.

Our evaluations will involve a range of stakeholders, including NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care, leaders of Integrated Care Systems, and wider groups of professional and patients. We will co-produce evaluation plans with these stakeholders to meet their needs and their timescales.