Three projects chosen for research into system efficiency and sustainability in health and social care

Three research projects were awarded grants by the Health Foundation, as part of its £1.5 million Efficiency Research Programme.

The projects explored innovative approaches to achieving greater system efficiency and sustainability in health and social care in the UK.

The Programme focused on:

• allocative efficiency: achieving a more cost-effective mix of services within health and health and social care to maximise the health of the UK
• aligning incentives to improve system efficiency and sustainability
• optimising the role of technology and the workforce to improve efficiency
• optimising the spread and diffusion of efficient practice and innovation in health and social care.

The Efficiency Research Programme was launched in 2014 and provided grants of up to £500,000 to support projects over three to five years. New funding was awarded every other year.

The projects

Allocative efficiency in end-of-life care

Lead organisation: Imperial College London

This research project looked at whether improvements in the efficiency of health and social care delivery at the end of life could enable access to higher-quality and more personalised care for patients.

WORKTECC: Workforce Operations that Realise Knowledge-based Transformational Efficiency gains in Community Care

Lead organisation: University College London (UCL)

This research project aimed to identify the scope for transformational efficiency gains in home-based NHS care. It assessed whether workforce operations used by other industries could deliver improved efficiency, and if so, how.

Efficiency, cost and quality of mental health care provision

Lead organisation: The University of York

This research project looked at the efficiency, cost and quality of current mental health care provision, assessed organisational factors, and estimated how mental health trusts could make changes to improve their efficiency and cost effectiveness.