This event was organised by NIHR Birmingham, RAND and Cambridge Evaluation Centre (BRACE) and the NIHR Rapid Service Evaluation Team (RSET). It brought together those who carry out, fund and use the findings of rapid evaluations from across the UK. The workshop aimed to share and explore experiences, learning and best practice in rapid evaluation, including insights from BRACE and RSET’s five years as NIHR-funded rapid service evaluation teams.
This was a highly interactive workshop, with a mix of plenary sessions, panel discussions and group activities, including UK-based and international speakers. It focused on key aspects of designing, delivering and maximising the uptake and impact of rapid evaluations.
Topics for discussion included:
1. Rapid evaluation – introduction, overview and key lessons
- a. Learning from Rapid Evaluations - Overview & Key Lessons
- b. Eleanor Williams Rapid evaluation presentation June 2023
2. When is rapid appropriate? When to progress or not to progress with a study
3. Balancing speed and rigour
4a. Enabling dissemination and rapid uptake through co-production
4b. Teams and skills – the practice of evaluation
5. Managing uncertainty throughout rapid evaluations
- a. Learning from Rapid Evaluations -Managing Uncertainty
- b. Rapid evaluation conference 20 June 2023_Charles Tallack
6. The Future of Rapid Evaluations
Speakers include:
Eleanor Williams – Executive Director, Strategy and Policy, Department of Health, Australia
Eleanor Williams is Executive Director of Policy and Strategy at the Victorian Department of Health and was previously the Director of their Centre for Evaluation and Research Evidence. She holds a Masters of Public Policy and Management and Masters of Evaluation from the University of Melbourne and has worked in a variety of senior management and executive roles in Government and as a management consultant. Eleanor co-founded the Australian Public Sector Evaluation Network and is undertaking a PhD with the University of Queensland and University College London on the topic of how evidence-based policy works in fast-paced environments.
Charles Tallack – Head of Analytics, Health Foundation
Charles is director of Data Analytics at the Health Foundation, leading a team which provides actionable insights on key issues in health and care, based on data, analysis and evidence. He joined the Health Foundation in February 2019 as Assistant Director and played a key role in setting up the REAL Centre which has established itself as an authority on strategic, long-term issues facing the health and care system. Charles has spent most of his career in health and public policy analysis. Previous roles include head of operational research and evaluation at NHS England, head of social care analysis at DHSC, chief analyst to the Dilnot Commission, and senior policy analysis roles in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, HM Treasury and the New Zealand Treasury.
Kathy Rowan – Health Services Delivery and Research
Professor Kathy Rowan is the Director of the NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research Programme, Director of the Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre (ICNARC), Honorary Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Adjunct Professor (Research) at Monash University, Australia.
Jo Dumville – Professor of Applied Health Research at the University of Manchester and Co-Director of the NIHR Rapid Service Evaluation Team REVAL
Jo Dumville is Professor of Applied Health Research at the University of Manchester and Co-Director of the NIHR Rapid Service Evaluation Team REVAL. Jo also has evaluation roles in the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester and the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre. Jo’s research interests focus on the evaluation of innovation in health and care. She has expertise in the use of multiple experimental, quasi experimental and mixed methodologies with rapid adaptions.
Jiri Chard – NHS England
Dr Jiri Chard is currently a senior analytical lead in NHS England, where he leads a team focusing on the evaluation of NHS initiatives, such as Vanguards. He started his career in academia at University of Birmingham and then University of Bristol, where his work focused in evidence based medicine, and patient involvement in research. He then moved to work on the development clinical guidelines at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Following this he moved to the Royal College of Surgeons to lead an evaluation of Independent Sector Treatment Centres, the methodology for which was a precursor to the NHS Patient Reported Outcomes Measure programme.
Raj Mehta – Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Representative
Raj Mehta retired from BP several years ago, where he held senior leadership positions in IT and procurement. Raj has been blind for most of his life due to a retinal condition, and was recently diagnosed with chronic conditions including Myasthenia Gravis and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). These experiences have made him particularly passionate about improving health care, and raising awareness and promoting the capabilities of disabled people. Raj continues to bring a unique and diverse perspective to the many roles he holds within the health and voluntary sectors, as an advisor, non-executive director and trustee.