How we work

Warwick Evidence

... Steering the course of future

While each project requirements and aims are outlined in the individual project scopes, our NIHR Technology Assessment Reviews work is guided by the NICE methods and process guide. To guarantee high-quality outputs, we follow strict internal quality assurance procedures outlined in our standards of procedures. We have further agreed a Research Strategy with our Advisory Group, which is outlined below.

Research Strategy

Purpose of this strategy document

Priorities

Delivering on our core contract

Publishing in high impact journals

Achieving grant funding for secondary research

Achieving grant funding for primary research

Fostering specialist interests

Developing capacity

Improving relations

The future

Research Strategy

Warwick Evidence is a health services research unit with a primary focus on evidence synthesis and health technology assessment (HTA). Our high-level aim is to produce research that leads to improvements in health and social care, either directly by facilitating the introduction of clinically and cost-effective new treatments, or indirectly by restricting spending on interventions that are not cost-effective.

We undertake reviews and evidence syntheses on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of health and social care interventions for a range of research funders and policymakers, including the National Institute for Health and Social Care Excellence (NICE). Warwick Evidence are one of twelve Technology Appraisal Review (TAR) teams contracted to deliver reviews for NICE. Our current TAR contract runs from April 2022 to March 2027.

Based in Warwick Medical School, Warwick Evidence brings together experts in clinical and cost-effectiveness reviewing, information science, epidemiology, health economics, social science, public health, screening and diagnostics, psychology, medical statistics and modelling. Our multidisciplinary team undertakes research collaboratively with several units across WMS, including Warwick Clinical Trials Unit, and with departments across the University of Warwick. We are supported by clinical and methodological advisors at both local and international levels.

Purpose of this strategy document

The purpose of this strategy is to encourage research excellence through:

A focus on key research areas
High-quality research outputs
Optimum research impact

The research strategy aims to complement the wider strategies being developed in WMS. Our research strategy encourages us to identify and exploit opportunities to maximise grant income every year, as well as increase impact by publications and citations in peer-reviewed journals. Our research development, training and findings will complement our undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in WMS, and allow individuals to be referred to the REF (Research Excellence Framework) or equivalent.

The research strategy aims to complement the wider strategies being developed in WMS. Our research strategy encourages us to identify and exploit opportunities to maximise grant income every year, as well as to increase impact by publications and citations in peer-reviewed journals. Our research development, training and findings will complement our undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in WMS, and allow individuals to be referred to the REF (Research Excellence Framework) or equivalent.

Priorities

Delivering on our core contracts

We will deliver the requirements of our core contracts with The Department of Health and Social Care and The Department of Education to produce reviews for policy-making bodies; and similar reports for external. We will aim to secure work from the NIHR HTA Programme in areas that reflect our topic interests and methodological expertise.

Our priorities include:

To deliver all projects by agreed deadlines
To deliver all project reports to a high standard using our Quality Assurance process
- All project reports are clear, easy to read, and with transparent reasoning. The language will be suitable for the intended audiences
- All project reports (and submitted material) will be planned, read, critically appraised and approved by a senior team member prior to submission
To respond promptly (with 3 working days) to all queries and requests for information from funders and clients
To deliver all projects within budget, or to negotiate uplifts where necessary and appropriate
To maintain and improve current levels of feedback received from our funders.

Publishing in high impact journals

We aim to:

Publish papers that will be well cited and do well in future Research Excellence assessments
- REF submissible staff to have four publications at 3* or above in each qualifying REF period
- All research staff to have at least one publication a year
Secure good citation rates for our publications
Publish technology appraisals where possible in the peer-reviewed, high impact factor HTA monograph series
Where appropriate, publish peer-reviewed journal versions of both short and long technology appraisals
To maintain a high quality and up-to-date web presence
To maintain and expand the external impact of Warwick Evidence through press releases and social media.

Achieving grant funding for secondary research

We aim to achieve additional grant funding for secondary research in substantive clinical areas. Current examples include:

Achieving grant funding for primary research

We also aim to achieve grant funding in primary research. Examples where technology appraisals have led to collaborations in primary research include

Fostering specialist interests

Members of Warwick Evidence have specialist interests, in topic areas such as orthopaedics, workplace wellbeing and multiple sclerosis or methodological areas such as network meta-analysis, survival analysis and diagnostic test accuracy. Other areas of interest and expertise include the use of evidence in health decision-making.

Developing capacity

We need to produce not only research but researchers. We aim to increase capacity by training new researchers, and by developing the careers of our existing ones. We will seek to increase the number of PhD students and post–doc fellowships. We will also provide opportunities for public health and other clinical trainees and colleagues and those doing dissertations for post-graduate degrees to collaborate with us. Our aim is to ensure that all staff are as highly skilled as possible to undertake their work. We run in-house training workshops (e.g. on Systematic reviewing, NHS costing, Network meta-analysis, Survival analysis) and individual programmes of postgraduate training for researchers employed in Warwick Evidence.

All staff to have Annual Review plans to include research career and training planning
All staff to have regular line management meetings and access to mentoring
Team-wide training and education report to be made annually
Warwick Evidence to support at least one external fellowship application (or equivalent) per year
Succession plans to be in place for each post in Warwick Evidence
All staffing policies to be compliant with WMS’s Athena SWAN policy
To provide opportunities for public health and other clinical trainees and colleagues and those doing dissertations for postgraduate degrees to collaborate with us
To offer training to staff to ensure that all staff are as highly skilled as possible to undertake their work.
We aim to have all eligible members of staff submitted in the REF.

Improving relationships

We aim to sustain and increase links across Warwick Medical School and the University of Warwick and associated local and national NHS partners and stakeholders related to evidence, technology appraisal and assessment of cost-effectiveness, clinical trials, economic modelling and knowledge diffusion and dissemination. We aim to

Achieve at least one shared research grant and one publication per chief investigator of the university per annum
All staff to engage across the school/university to undertake appropriate teaching or administrative activity to be agreed and assessed at annual appraisals
Senior staff to maintain at least one advisory, refereeing or reviewing role with relevant national stakeholders (e.g. NIHR ESP/NICE/UKNSC/UKHSA)

The future

Contingency planning is required so that we are prepared for promotions, secondments, and planned and unplanned leave to ensure the work of the group is maintained at a high standard. This requires that

All routine activities to be covered by standard operating procedures (SOPs). All SOPs to be revisited biennially
Senior team to meet weekly to ensure timely and satisfactory management of all projects and programmes, finance, staffing, allocations and research activities
To keep accurate and timely financial records
Advisory group composed of senior stakeholders to meet at least annually to ensure appropriate scrutiny of all aspect of management and governance of Warwick Evidence.