HSRUK Winter meeting: Impact of Health Services Research

October 15th 2015, Swansea University

The PPHI team at Swansea University Medical School co-hosted this successful half day seminar with the national organisation Health Services Research UK (formerly Health Services Research Network). This was the first time the HSRUK winter meeting had been held in Wales.

The seminar addressed the question of ‘What is impact, and how can health services researchers achieve it?’ It brought together researchers, practitioners and policy makers to understand how they can work together to identify and demonstrate impact for their research on the way in which health care is planned, delivered and experienced. It aimed to stimulate debate and encourage delegates to think in a broad way about the many dimensions of impact. It addressed the Research Excellence Framework (REF) to focus on research impact, but also took a broader look at impact, what it means and who it is for.

The event was very ably chaired by Professor Judith Smith, Director of Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham. It took place in the Round Reading room at the Alex Design centre, Alexandra Road, Swansea and was attended by 55 people from across England and Wales.

Part 1: Naming Impact

Part 1 of the seminar was about Naming impact: What is impact, and how can you achieve it, and consisted of two presentations followed by questions. Professor Stephen Hanney of Brunel University explained the history of policy and government attention to research impact, and in particular the concern with ‘research payback’ in the NHS, and set out the six steps to impactful research. Dr Vicky Ward of Leeds University explored the tricky landscape of knowledge mobilisation, examining the messy and non-linear way by which this often happens.

Part 2: Claiming Impact

Part 2 of the seminar concerned Claiming impact, and took an innovative approach to presentation, in which Judith interviewed Helen Snooks about her high scoring impact case study on safe alternatives to conveyance to hospital for the 2014 REF to dissect how the case study was put together. This format worked very well and generated lively discussion in the room.

Part 3: Framing Impact

Part 3 was about Framing impact, and was apanel discussion about who should and could feel the impact of research. The panel included Jo Cooke from Yorkshire and Humber CLARHC, Kathryn Oliver, Provost Fellow in Knowledge and Policy Networks at Oxford University, and Robyn Davies & Sue Bale from the South East Wales Academic Health Science Partnership.

Yorkshire and Humber CLARHC also brought along an interesting display about health and design.

The event was organised by Alison Porter and Vicky Davies (Swansea) and Christina Heap and John de Pury (HSRUK). It was supported financially by HSRUK.

Some feedback from Jan Davies from the SUCCESS service user group:

‘The recent Impact Meeting at Swansea - you were right to say it would be "up my street".  The speakers were well chosen especially the Chair Judith Smith and who would not like Steve Hanney...I would say this meeting was a great success which, obviously, comes down to Helen and the team.’

Helen Snooks and Judith Smith at the HSRUK Impact Seminar in Swansea

Presentations

Please find presentations from the day here: https://hsruk.org/members/events/hsruk-winter-meeting-impact-health-services-research

Report

And a write up by Judith Smith here: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/social-policy/departments/health-services-management-centre/news/viewpoint/2015/10/making-research-matter.aspx