UK new evidence centres to drive better decisions across £200 billion of public services
A UK Government initiative is building on existing evidence-based policy making to guide decision-making, creating a 'What Works Network'. This will consist of two existing centres of excellence, NICE and the Educational Endowment Foundation, plus four new independent institutions responsible for gathering, assessing and sharing the most robust evidence to inform policy and service delivery in tackling crime, promoting active and independent ageing, effective early intervention and fostering local economic growth.
These independent specialist centres will produce and disseminate research to local decision makers, supporting them in investing in services that deliver the best outcomes for citizens and value for money for taxpayers. The centres will also feed insights into the heart of Government to inform national decision-making.
Each What Works centre is independent from Government and they have six core functions, which they will all undertake:
- Undertake systematic assessment of relevant evidence and produce a sound, accurate, clear and actionable synthesis of the global evidence base, which assesses and ranks interventions on the basis of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness; shows where the interventions are applicable; shows the relative cost of interventions and shows the strength of evidence on an agreed scale
- Produce and apply a common currency for comparing the effectiveness of interventions
- Put the needs and interests of users at the heart of its work
- Publish and disseminate findings in a format that can be understood, interpreted and acted upon
- Identify research and capability gaps and work with partners to fill them
- Advise those commissioning and undertaking innovative interventions and research projects to ensure that their work can be evaluated effectively