Evidence and evaluation toolkits to launch 22 March

To support commissioners, the West of England AHSN and Avon Primary Care Research Collaborative to have developed two online toolkits: Evidence Works – an evidence-informed commissioning toolkit; and Evaluation Works – a service evaluation toolkit

2nd March 2016

Commissioning decisions should be informed by the best available evidence. This helps to improve outcomes for patients and makes sure that scarce resources are used efficiently and effectively.

To support commissioners, the West of England Academic Health Science Network (WEAHSN) and the Avon Primary Care Research Collaborative (APCRC) to develop two online toolkits:

Evidence Works – an evidence-informed commissioning toolkit
Evaluation Works – a service evaluation toolkit.

These have recently been re-designed and re-branded with a new look and feel to make them accessible and easy-to-use for the novice and practised user. The new-look toolkits will be launched online on 22 March 2016.

Evidence Works and Evaluation Works both feature a five-point guide to either finding and using evidence, or planning and implementing a service evaluation. They also include links to many resources and related training, case studies, signposting to relevant information, support and advice as well as useful local contacts.

Both toolkits will be available to use free of charge. Please do take a look at them when they are available; the West of England AHSN and APCRC welcome your feedback, particularly during the first three months after launch, as there will be the opportunity to make technical improvements in June 2016, if needed.

They are intended for anyone working in or with health commissioning organisations to identify the best available evidence and use evaluation for informing commissioning decisions.

These initiatives started from the innovative toolkits developed by the APCRC and were produced with the support of many people from academic, health and science organisations across the West of England.

Training support

Convenient two-hour workshops are available to support users of the Toolkits : ‘Finding the Evidence’ and ‘Getting Started with Service Evaluation’. Both are available free of charge to West of England AHSN members, and can be run at your premises at a mutually convenient date. For further details or to book on to a workshop, please visit the CLAHRC West website or email Jo Bangoura: [email protected].