Abstract
The government in the UK, along with the main funders of health services research, is quite rightly expecting clearer evidence of a link between their investment and changes to services and improvements in population and patient care. Although this appears a tall order to researchers at the start of a programme of research, it is clear that a trajectory to benefit has to be carefully thought through in any application. Obvious ways to achieve this include robust methods and assumptions, incorporation of clinical and health services management perspectives, and a plan for the implementation of findings into the health system.
The UK Health Services Research Network (HSRN) not only provides a forum for health services researchers to present their work at an annual meeting but increasingly facilitates discussion with health care chief executives and their teams, to ensure that the right questions are asked and that researchers select the most appropriate study designs and outcome measures. In this coming together we believe there is a real chance health services research can achieve what is required of itself.
The 2012 HSRN Conference was held back-to-back with the National Health Service (NHS) Confederation’s annual conference to which 1000 health services managers and members of a wide range of health care industries attend. The HSRN Conference had 300 delegates presenting 77 talks and 110 posters. Amongst those attending were not only researchers but also health services managers, some of whom gave plenary talks on the value of research for setting policy and innovating delivery of care.
This Supplement contains a broad selection of papers presented at the Conference. The quality of presentations from academic institutions, Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC), and chief executives stimulated vibrant debate. It will be important to build on the concept of co-production of research questions and discussion of findings at future HSRN conferences, the next of which is on 17 and 18 June 2013 in Nottingham.