Context

The NIHR is dedicated to advancing research that strengthens the evidence base underpinning health and care policy and practice. Understanding how evidence currently informs practice within the health economy, and how evidence-to-practice links can be strengthened, is thus crucial to the NIHR mission. This has been brought into sharper focus by the NIHR’s dual focus on research to improve the wealth (as well as the health) of the population.

‘Practice in the health economy’ includes decisions relating to budgeting and the allocation of resources at a micro, meso and macro level in the NHS and other health investing bodies such as local authorities, schools, and workplaces. It also refers to economic decision-making around incentives, (quasi-)market structures, pricing, management of demand and supply and information in the healthcare system.

Researchers already operate at the interface of evidence and policy/practice, through for example NICE committees, membership of NIHR Policy Research Units, Health Determinants Research Collaborations (HDRCs), Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs), and decision-making bodies. However, researchers, practitioners, and policy makers often inhabit quite different communities, with different cultures, working practices, and incentives. Better recognition and accounting for this in the work we do could strengthen evidence-practice impact.

Sub-group session - launch event

This session was convened by Hareth Al-Janabi (University of Birmingham), Angela Bate, (University of Northumbria), and Rachel Meacock (University of Manchester). The aim of the session was to explore the potential for creating an Evidence and Practice sub-group within NIHR Economics. The session had over 90 people registered and featured four elements:

• A presentation on the Wellbeing Investment in Schools and Employers (WISE) study.
  This work led by Hareth Al-Janabi is focused on understanding how to strengthen evidence-practice links in school and workplace mental health resource allocation.
• A presentation on the Realist Economic Evaluation Methods (REEM) project. This
  project led by Angela Bate is funded by the NIHR and has developed guidance for
  theory driven economic evaluation to account for the context of intervention delivery.
• An overview of the Resource Allocation Practice (RAP) network. This network was established in 2024 to bring together researchers and practitioners interested in
  the way resources are allocated in the health and care system. A number of activities
  have been delivered through the RAP network over the last year that could be
  continued through the Evidence & Practice NIHR group (see next section).
• An open Q&A about the priorities for an Evidence & Practice sub-group.

Future plans

We would like to build on the momentum from the Resource Allocation Practice (RAP) network, with the new NIHR Evidence & Practice group with interaction at least six-monthly and activities to include:

• Online journal clubs
• Seminars (from members and externally)
• Training/educational events 
• Organised sessions at conferences
• Sharing of news/information/opportunities/research
• Joint events with the policy/practice community

We have asked for expressions of interest for a further 3-5 people to join a committee to take the Evidence & Practice sub-group forward.