Research and Evaluation Framework

CQC are seeking a research organisation or agency to become our research partner.

CQC require the research partner to have expertise in, and experience of undertaking work on, the subjects of:

• Local health and care systems.
• Wider determinants of health.
• Addressing inequalities in the access to, experiences of, and outcomes from health and social care.
• Involving people in health and social care.
• Regulation of health and care.

The supplier who becomes CQC's research partner will have:

• Strong connections with organisations across health and social care and experience of building collaborations.
• A skilled and experienced team of researchers, evaluators, and analysts.
• Experience of turning research and evidence into impact on health and social care for the benefit of people.

We would call-off research and evaluation or other statements of works from the research partner. This may include:

• Scoping of research and evaluation questions and projects.
• Delivery of research and/or evaluation projects.
• Identification of, and linking with, other related research activity across the health and care landscape.
• Support with the development of research collaborations and co-funding relationships between CQC and others.
• Research events and other dissemination activities.
• Work to translate research into products or outputs to be used by different audiences and implement findings to bring about improvement in health and care. Additional information: For Lots 1 to 3, only one single supplier will be appointed for each Lot. There will be a different awarded supplier for each Lot. A supplier cannot be awarded more than one Lot in Lots 1 to 3.

We are seeking an academic team to be our academic partner on the research programme. The academic team can be from one or more academic institution, although one institution would need to be the lead partner.

We require the academic partner to have expertise in, and experience of undertaking work on, the subjects of:

• Quality in health and adult social care (and the measurement thereof).
• Safety in health and adult social care (and the measurement thereof).
• Inequalities in health and social care.
• Quality improvement and innovation in a health and social care context.
• Patient and public involvement in research.

The academic partner will have:

• A skilled and experienced team of researchers and evaluators.
• Strong academic standing, including having peer-reviewed publications on the topics of quality, safety and improvement in health and social care.
• Strong connections with other organisations and academic institutions in the health and social care field, including experience of building collaborations.
• Experience of turning research and evidence into impact on health and social care for the benefit of people.
• A good understanding of the political, statutory, regulatory, and societal context around health and social care in England.

We would call-off research and evaluation or other statements of works from the academic partner. This may include:

• Scoping of research and evaluation questions and projects.
• Research and/ or evaluation projects.
• Identification of, and linking with, other related research activity on relevant topics.
• Support with the development of research collaborations and co-funding relationships between CQC and others.
• Support to access other funding sources.
• Research events and other dissemination activities.
• Work to translate research into products or outputs to be used by different audiences and implement findings to bring about improvement in health and care.

We will look to fund or co-fund PhD studentships though our academic partner. Additional information: For Lots 1 to 3, only one single supplier will be appointed for each Lot. There will be a different awarded supplier for each Lot. A supplier cannot be awarded more than one Lot in Lots 1 to 3.

We are seeking a consultation partner to support delivery of consultations and analysis of responses received.

The successful supplier will have a range of skills and experience including:

• Understanding of CQC's role and its relationship with other parts of the health and social care landscape.
• An understanding of the requirement of a public sector consultation process.
• Experience of supporting the design and development of national consultations including the production of consultation questions, discussion guides and other consultation materials and tools.
• A strong track record in qualitative and quantitative analysis methods and tools.
• A strong track record in delivering a robust and full analysis of feedback to formal consultations from a range of data sources.
• A good understanding of quality assurance processes and methods.
• Substantial experience in communicating results to internal and external audiences in effective and meaningful ways.
• Strong stakeholder skills.

We would call-off consultation analysis or other statements of work from the consultation partner. This may include:

• Analysis of pre-consultation feedback. This may include feedback from social media, co-production sessions with providers or users of care services, feedback from stakeholder interviews or focus groups, materials from any relevant previous consultations, or outputs from pilot activity already undertaken.
• Advice and guidance in the drafting of consultation questions.
• Conducting focus groups or other consultation events to gather feedback from stakeholders.
• Analysis of quantitative and qualitative data gathered as part of the consultation from a range of sources.
• Delivery of a final report that can be published as part of CQC's overall consultation response.

Through this lot we will procure research and evaluation on the topics of safety, improvement, regulation and assessing quality in health and social care. This may include research and evaluation on topics such as:

• What good practice looks like in providing care for different population groups, in different sectors, service types and settings.
• Features of good safety and improvement cultures, and the conditions that support them to develop.
• Conditions supporting safe, effective, and impactful innovation in health and social care.
• Effective assessment of quality, safety and improvement cultures in different health and care sectors, service types, and settings.
• Relationships between regulation and improvement and innovation in health and care provision.
• Factors impacting the effectiveness of regulatory methods for assessing quality and encouraging improvement in care.
• Methods for identifying risks to people who use health and care services.
• The impact of our regulation on provider and system quality. Additional information: For Lots 4 to 10, the Authority seeks to award up to a maximum of fifteen Suppliers per Lot. A supplier may be awarded to one or multiple Lots.

Through this lot we will procure research and evaluation the topics of equity, equality and inequalities in health and care access, experience, and outcomes. This may include research and evaluation on topics such as:

• How local systems address inequalities and understand the needs of their local populations.
• What works when addressing inequalities for different population groups, in different sectors, service types and settings.
• Approaches to identifying and understanding inequalities in care, and assessment of services' ability to tackle these.
• Detecting poor care in settings where people are unable to speak up for themselves. Additional information: For Lots 4 to 10, the Authority seeks to award up to a maximum of fifteen Suppliers per Lot. A supplier may be awarded to one or multiple Lots.

Through this lot we will procure research and evaluation on health and care systems, including integrated care systems and local authorities. We will procure research on integration, on care pathways and on the provision of joined up care. This may include research and evaluation on topics such as:

• Effective and impactful assessment of integrated care systems.
• Assessing Local authority responsibilities for adult social care.
• Conditions that support health and social care systems to work well and improve quality.
• Effective regulation in a system context.
• How to drive improvement in integrated care systems to ensure joined up care. Additional information: For Lots 4 to 10, the Authority seeks to award up to a maximum of fifteen Suppliers per Lot. A supplier may be awarded to one or multiple Lots.

Through this lot we will procure research and evaluation to better understand how to involve people in regulatory processes, in decisions about their care, and in developing health and care services and local systems. We will also procure research and evaluation to better understand people's experiences of accessing and using care. This may include research and evaluation on topics such as:

• Assessing the ability of local systems to meaningfully engage with their local populations.
• Best practice on involving people in their care.
• Effective approaches to capture and utilise the voices of people in our regulatory assessments, including those who are more likely to receive poor care.
• People's access to, and experiences of care in specific sectors, service types and settings. Additional information: For Lots 4 to 10, the Authority seeks to award up to a maximum of fifteen Suppliers per Lot. A supplier may be awarded to one or multiple Lots.

Through this lot we will procure research and evaluation on how to be an effective learning organisation. This may include research and evaluation on topics such as:

• Organisational development.
• Empowering employee voice.
• Organisational cultures that promote learning and improvement.
• Effective management of change within the workplace.
• Creating an inclusive workplace. Additional information: For Lots 4 to 10, the Authority seeks to award up to a maximum of fifteen Suppliers per Lot. A supplier may be awarded to one or multiple Lots.

Through this lot we will procure research and evaluation on adult social care provided in care homes, care in people's own homes and other settings. This may include research and evaluation on topics such as:

• Effective care for specific groups or those with specific needs in different settings.
• Effective assessment of care in adult social care settings.
• Ensuring people are supported to live their best lives through adult social care.
• Promoting and protecting human rights within adult social care settings and services. Additional information: For Lots 4 to 10, the Authority seeks to award up to a maximum of fifteen Suppliers per Lot. A supplier may be awarded to one or multiple Lots.

Through this lot we will procure surveys and polling, of the population of England and of specific stakeholder groups. This may be to supplement other qualitative data.

All potential suppliers applying to be on Lot 10 must be able to:

• Undertake surveys of a national representation of the population of England, including in relation to age, gender, ethnicity, region and disability and long-term condition as standard.
• Include a boost sample in surveys and polls from one or more specified groups to allow comparison between that group and others.
• Undertake feasibility checks for polls on specific topics, e.g., incidence of elective surgery being cancelled in last six months.
• Have systems and processes for robust quality checks to be in place when conducting polls and surveys.

Suppliers must also be able to deliver at least one of the following:

• Deliver Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) on top of gathering online responses. If this is done via a subcontractor, details of how this would work would need to be provided.
• Undertake quantitative research with at least one hard-to-reach group, including children and young people, ethnic minorities, people on lower incomes and others who are more likely to receive poor care.
• Undertake business or stakeholder survey research with relevant audiences to CQC e.g. health and social care, stakeholders, parliamentarians or professionals. Additional information: For Lots 4 to 10, the Authority seeks to award up to a maximum of fifteen Suppliers per Lot. A supplier may be awarded to one or multiple Lots.

Through this lot we will procure specific methodological support on the usage of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science methods in relation to regulation of health and social care. This may include specific methodological support on research areas including:

• Large Language Models and Generative Artificial Intelligence.
• Natural Language Processing.
• Deep Learning.
• Reinforcement Learning.
• Digital Twins and Simulation.

All potential suppliers applying on Lot 11 must be able to:

• Produce high quality research with impact, with a strong evidence base of peer reviewed publications.
• Provide a skilled and experienced team with specific methodological expertise in one or more technical areas of artificial intelligence.
• Show strong connections with other relevant organisations or academic institutions in the domain of Artificial Intelligence. Additional information: For Lot 11 the Authority seeks to award up to a maximum of five Suppliers.