Helping to make better decisions about health
Health interventions deliver benefits that extend far beyond improvements in health. They can support economic growth, increase productivity, improve resilience, reduce future public spending and strengthen social wellbeing. However, there is currently no single, transparent framework for assessing these wider benefits when policy and investment decisions are made.
We are leading a major programme of work to explore how the value of health interventions can be assessed more consistently and transparently across government and other health decision-makers. The programme will bring together expertise from health, economics, research, industry and policymaking to develop a framework that supports evidence-informed decision-making.
Connecting health and economic growth
Good health is fundamental to individual wellbeing, but it is also a driver of economic growth, workforce participation and national resilience. Yet health and economic policy are often considered separately, making it difficult to fully recognise the broader value that health interventions can generate.
Current decisions draw on a range of approaches, including HM Treasury's Green Book framework, NICE cost-effectiveness methodologies, operational priorities and political considerations. While each has an important role, there is no consistent way to compare the value of different types of health investment, such as prevention programmes, medicines, diagnostics, research, workforce development and innovation.
This can make it difficult to assess trade-offs between:
- Prevention and treatment
- Short-term and long-term benefits
- Health outcomes and economic outcomes
- NHS benefits and wider societal benefits
What the programme will do
The work has two main aims:
Develop a decision-making framework
The Academy will work with experts to develop a framework that could help policymakers assess health interventions more consistently and transparently. The framework will seek to recognise the multiple ways health interventions create value, including their contribution to health, the economy and society.
Assess the evidence base
Alongside the framework, the programme will review the evidence available to support decision-making and identify areas where further evidence generation may be needed. In areas where evidence is limited, the work will seek to highlight uncertainties and future research priorities, and in some instances, we will commission evidence required to meet these gaps.
Bringing together a breadth of expertise
The programme is being guided by an advisory group spanning health economics, public policy, academia, charities, industry and health systems. This breadth of expertise will help ensure the framework reflects the complexity of real-world decision-making and is grounded in evidence from across sectors.
The group will be chaired by Professor Deborah Ashby OBE FMedSci FRS and Dr Ruth McKernan CBE FMedSci.
We are keen to engage throughout the programme, please look out for engagement opportunities here. If you want to get in touch, please email [email protected].
Looking ahead
By creating a clearer and more consistent approach to valuing health interventions, this work aims to support better-informed decisions about how resources are invested to improve health and maximise benefits for society.
Ultimately, the programme seeks to strengthen the connection between health and economic policy, helping ensure that decisions about health interventions reflect their full contribution to healthier lives, economic prosperity and long-term resilience.
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