Assessing benefits from Department of Health and National Health Service Research & Development

Public services in the UK are increasing ly expected to account for their outputs and performance. This article describes a retrospective evaluation of the benefits from the R&D funded by a regional office of the NHS Executive. The methods adopted enabled the various elements of the reg ion's R&D portfolio to be examined and provided a basis for the development of a plan for regular monitoring The proposals for implementation are now also feeding into a debate as to how health seri,ices R&D might best be monitored nationally ir, a way that is compatible with the norms and practices of research in other contexts.