AssessPlanDo Review QuestionYesNo? Do I know what I want to evaluate and why? Consider drivers and audience Do I already know the answer to my evaluation question? Consider evidence Will I be able to use the results of the evaluation? Consider context Will these evaluation results provide me with useful information that will be considered “value for money”? Do benefits of conducting the evaluation out way costs and consequences. Do I have the resources and/or skills available to undertake this evaluation? Consider how Will the information I collect be able to answer my evaluation question (the evaluations aims and objectives)? Consider quality and accessibility of data Is it the right time to conduct an evaluation of the service? Consider: Stage of development and complexity of the service Timescales of the service Context the service is operating in Are there other options to doing an evaluation? Consider: Are current project processes such as monitoring enough? Should I consider other options such as clinical audit, quality improvement or research? Resource 1. Do I need to be doing an evaluation? Evaluation requires an investment of time, money and resources and so before you begin you need to assess whether you should be conducting an evaluation before making this investment. The following questions will help you to start to consider whether you need to and can do an evaluation, we recommend that you consider these in partnership with your stakeholders. You may not be able to answer them all straight away but useful to keep in mind when planning your evaluation. For more information on “Evaluability Assessment” the following resources will help: An Evaluability Assessment may be useful in determining whether the service is ready to be evaluated and what type of evaluation is required.

AssessPlanDo Review Resource 2. Resources It is important to consider what resources are required for the evaluation from the outset. This may need to be reviewed throughout the planning process. The resource requirements will be informed by the type of evaluation you need (and quite often impact on the design of your evaluation). This is an important step and should be considered early when planning and developing your service (i.e. business case, QIPP scheme, service specification, intervention, programme or project). QuestionEvaluation Resources Who is responsible for overseeing the delivery of the Evaluation? There will usually be an identified lead for the evaluation who can often be the project/service manager or the commissioner. You will also want to consider your reporting (governance) arrangements for the evaluation, this may be an established project group or committee. Who should be involved in the evaluation? Who can help you to deliver this evaluation? Who are your key stakeholders? Are there local experts that can help? Discuss lay involvement with your PPI lead - service users and their families are often well placed to help evaluate the services. What resources are available to support the evaluation? Include financial resources This could be money and/or staff time depending on the evaluation. If you are conducting an internal evaluation then you will need input from staff. If you need to commission an external evaluation then you will need to also identify a budget (approximately 10% of the project value). Utilise existing data and project resources where possible and appropriate. Who will conduct the evaluation?Evaluations can be conducted internally, externally by an independent organisation or a mixture of the two. What you decide will depend on the purpose of your evaluation (i.e. if it is to inform and improve then an internal evaluation may be adequate; if it is to demonstrate a level of accountability then you need to consider an external evaluation), the level of risk involved to the organisation and the participants and the skills and resources available. Plan your evaluation early in the commissioning cycle. This will enable you to ensure that you use the most appropriate methodology, collect the right data, allocate adequate resources and set appropriate timescales. Our service evaluation guide and website tbc provides you with guidance on commissioning an independent external Evaluation and template to set out your invitation to tender.

AssessPlanDo Review Ethics and Governance If you are doing a service evaluation then you will need to comply with your local and/or organisational ethics and governance processes. These local and organisational processes may vary and so it is important to ensure that you obtain the right advice and seek the right permissions. If you are unsure check with your local experts, these could be a Research and Development lead, Clinical Governance lead, an Evaluation lead or a University Ethics department. Engage with your local research and information governance experts As a service evaluation you do not need any formal ethical approval from an NHS Ethics Committee, however every service evaluation should ensure they apply best practice when it comes to ethics ensuring that adequate safeguards are put in place and that the benefits of conducting an evaluation outweigh the risks. This will involve reviewing your evaluation during the design, delivery and dissemination to ensure any ethical issues are identified and actions are put in place to address them. This will include ensuring appropriate informed consent is obtained from participants, confidentiality and anonymity are maintained and the study complies with your organisation‘s information governance and data protection policies and procedures. Particular consideration needs to made for any participants that may be considered vulnerable such as children and people who lack capacity. We suggest that you keep a record of the result as a part of your evaluation plan as this acts as an audit trail. We also recommend that you check with your own organisation to ensure that you comply with local arrangements when it comes to the governance and ethics of your evaluation. Resource 3. Am I doing an evaluation? Once you have identified the need to do an evaluation and planned your approach it is important that you check that you are doing a service evaluation and not research. To do this we recommend you use the Health Research Authorities tool to help you to assess this or contact your local experts such as your research and development department.