Researchers

Key overall recomendation

➔ work alongside project teams, health leaders and participants throughout the innovation process, supporting them to use appropriate research and evaluation methods for the stage the innovation is at.

Groundwork

➔ understand organisational issues and cultures that created the need for this project.

➔ start to identify potential data collection methods and discuss possible limitations with project teams.

➔ create and maintain a profile on the Wales Arts, Health and Wellbeing Network.

Test

➔ develop a feasible and flexible initial research protocol that accommodates iteration and is centred on discovering potential research questions for later stages.

➔ account for process as well as impact as the process is likely to evolve and change as new approaches are being tested.

➔ experiment with locally meaningful and standardised outcome measures to identify the most suitable data collection tools for your project.

Invest

➔ be clear on your costs, process, expectations and availability for getting involved in research projects, and what's involved. This includes a plan for who will collect data and write reports.

➔ support projects to capture quality alongside quantity, e.g. most significant change, appreciative enquiry.

Scale

➔ conduct and share meta-analysis and reviews of existing evidence nuanced by type of project, health condition or setting, to help people understand the context of their innovations.

➔ simplify research: make your reports and outputs accessible and share your research in the simplest possible terms wherever possible

➔ bring your research to policy and health spaces (e.g. Cross Party Groups) to help influence decision makers