Drug recovery pilots evaluation contract awarded
University of Manchester awarded a research contract for the evaluation of government's drug and alcohol recovery programme.
The University of Manchester has been awarded a research contract for the independent evaluation of the Department of Health’s drug and alcohol recovery payment by results pilots programme.
The evaluation contract follows a rigorous open competitive tendering exercise, advice from an independent expert commissioning panel, and a process of post-tender negotiations with the preferred bidder.
The overall aim of the evaluation is to investigate whether, how, and to what extent, a payment by results approach can stimulate the market to provide different schemes, co-ordinated across a range of services, that successfully initiate and sustain the recovery of individuals from drug and alcohol dependence, and their successful re-integration into their communities.
Key features of the research contract
The successful evaluation team will be led by Dr Michael Donmall of the National Drug Evidence Centre (NDEC), and Professor Matthew Sutton of the University of Manchester’s School of Medicine.
Key features of the contract include:
- three-year study combining process, outcomes and economic evaluations (subject to a preliminary scoping and feasibility phase)
- collaborative partnership between the University of Manchester and Birkbeck College London
- budget up to £1 million
- regular progress and interim reporting
- focus on reflexive learning
Scoping report
An initial scoping and feasibility report will be submitted to the Department of Health in June 2012, to include a selective review of the relevant research literature, refined evaluation proposals, detail on the engagement with the pilot sites, and any emerging findings.