Join us at the Rapid Evaluation in Health Care Conference 2026
The Rapid Evaluation in Health Care Conference, organised by the Nuffield Trust and the Improvement Analytics Unit at the Health Foundation, will take place on 13 May 2026, at the British Medical Association. Now in its eighth year, the conference will bring together representatives from the rapid evaluation community, including analysts, evaluators, service users, policy makers, commissioners and local decision makers to explore the role of rapid evaluation in a changing health and social care landscape.
As the NHS and social care system enter a period of significant change to its structures and ambitions, in line with the shifts signalled in the 10-Year Plan, the demands on rapid evaluation are shifting. Political and commissioning pressures for swift action continue to grow, yet the need for robust, timely evidence across health and care has never been greater. Rapid evaluation can play a vital role in guiding decision-making during periods of uncertainty, but it may also be perceived as slowing momentum at a time when systems and services are eager to move forward.
Join us to discuss current and future challenges, engage in new thinking and develop ideas that can help improve systems and processes.
This is a free to attend event, with limited spaces available.
We hope you can join us!
Session 1: Advancing rapid evaluation: insights from England’s national teams
- Speaker: Stephanie Kumpunen Senior Fellow, Nuffield Trust
- Chair: Professor Jenny Shand Director of RSET, Professor of Applied Health Research, UCL, University College London
- Speaker: Dr Manbinder Sidhu Associate Professor and Co-Director, NIHR BRACE Rapid Evaluation Centre
- Speaker: Professor Jo Dumville Professor of Applied Health Research and Co-Director of the NIHR Rapid Service Evaluation Team REVAL, University of Manchester
- Speaker: Dr Sonja Marjanovic Director of Healthcare Innovation, RAND Europe (Healthcare Innovation, Industry and Policy)
- Speaker: Dr Juliette Malley Reader, Better Health and Care Hub, Co-Director, Social Care Rapid Evaluation Team (SOCRATES), King’s College London
Session 2a: Keeping pace with AI: Iterative evaluation using Learning Health Systems principles
- Chair: Dr Dasha Belokhvostova Senior Data Analyst, Improvement analytics unit, The Health Foundation
- Chair: Dr Katie Richards Research Associate, University of Cambridge
- Speaker: Professor Niels Peek Professor of Data Science and Healthcare Improvement, THIS Institute, University of Cambridge
Session 2b: A modern way of letting go: decommissioning against a tide of adoption
- Chair: Dr Jonathan Clarke Senior Policy Fellow, The Health Foundation
- Speaker: Sally Gainsbury Senior Policy Analyst, Nuffield Trust
- Speaker: Professor Leila Rooshenas Professor of Social Medicine and Health Policy, Bristol Medical School
- Speaker: Arne Wolters Head of Improvement Analytics at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, Implementation Lead, NIHR Applied Research Collaboration for the North East and North Cumbria
Session 2c: Case study session: Improving NHS maternity services: how can we move from reactive reviews to proactive evaluation?
- Chair: Dr Holly Walton Senior Research Fellow, UCL
- Speaker: Rachel Lawrence Research Fellow, UCL
- Speaker: Lucy Sandell Senior Analytical Manager, NHS England
- Speaker: Professor Jane O’Hara Research Professor, THIS Institute
- Speaker: Sarah Fisher Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Representative, NA
Session 3a: Keeping patients at the heart of rapid evaluation
- Chair: Dr Sarah Opie-Martin Senior Data Analyst, The Health Foundation
- Speaker: Raj Mehta Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Representative, NA
- Speaker: Pei Li Ng Senior research project manager, PPIE co-lead, NIHR Rapid Service Evaluation Team (RSET), UCL
- Speaker: Saiqa Ahmed Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Representative, NA
- Speaker: Anica Alvarez Nishio Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Representative, NA
- Speaker: Dr Dasha Belokhvostova Senior Data Analyst, Improvement Analytics Unit, The Health Foundation
Session 3b: Bringing care closer to home: the role of rapid evaluation in driving change
- Chair: Sarah Reed Senior Fellow, Nuffield Trust
- Speaker: Professor Jason Scott Professor of Applied Health Research, Deputy Director, IDEAS National Evaluation Team
- Speaker: Professor Martin Knapp, CBE Professor of Health and Social Care Policy, Professorial Research Fellow, The London School of Economics and Political Science
- Speaker: Katie Spanjers Senior Consultant, The Strategy Unit
Session 3c: Follow the money? The changing role of economic evaluation in today’s NHS
- Chair: Hannah Rose Douglas Assistant Director, Head of the Improvement Analytics Unit, The Health Foundation
- Speaker: Taz Aldawoud Founder and CEO, Doc Abode
- Speaker: Professor Stephen Morris RAND Professor of Health Services Research, University of Cambridge
- Speaker: Dr Gurdeep Sagoo Senior Lecturer in Health Economics, Newcastle University
Session 4: The role of AI in health and care planning, delivery, and rapid evaluation – now and in the future
- Chair: Thea Stein Chief Executive, Nuffield Trust
- Speaker: Dr Jessica Morley Post-Doctoral Associate, Yale Digital Ethics Center
- Speaker: Dr Jonathan Clarke Senior Policy Fellow, The Health Foundation