Table 2.

Key priority areas for research, as identified by the Department of Health.

Thematic research area	Key research questions identified by the Department of Health
The new commissioning system	Has the quality of commissioning improved?
	What is the role and effects of each part of the new commissioning system, and how do they work together?
	To what extent are the changes in the commissioning system resulting in changes in services and care pathways that benefit patients?
The provider landscape and its regulation	What effects do the changes in the system have on providers’ behaviour?
	Are existing providers becoming more sustainable?
	To what extent are providers using their freedoms, and introducing innovation?
	What is the role of competition, failure, market entry and market exit in the provider landscape?
Mechanisms for improving the integration of care	Is the new system joining up services effectively, within and across health and care organisations and sectors, and looking more widely at other organisations that affect health and care outcomes?
	How do the organisations in the new system plan and commission together to deliver more integrated care, and with what results?
Patient empowerment	To what extent are patients taking more control over decisions about their care, and what are the effects of this?
	Is self-directed support happening?
	To what extent are patients using health information about themselves to take more control over decisions about their care?
Patient and public involvement	To what extent are organisations across the system taking account of views and feedback from the public, and how far is this influencing their decisions?
	What methods are adopted for ensuring public involvement is effective and beneficial?
Information, quality and outcomes	How do different organisations in the new system focus on outcomes, especially with respect to the outcomes frameworks?
	Are outcomes being used to measure performance and to drive improvement, and how is this happening?
	How are other sources of information about quality, particularly effectiveness, safety and patient experience, being used?
Autonomy and accountability	To what extent are organisations at each level of the new system free to make their own decisions without interference from elsewhere?
	Where do power and accountability lie in the new system?

Adapted from the Department of Health’s invitation for research tenders.⁶