We are grateful to many current and former colleagues in each of our centres for their academic expertise, collegiality and dedication to producing high-quality and useful evidence syntheses as part of this commissioned programme. They include Jane Dalton, Gillian Parker, Andrew Street, Kath Wright, Sue Whiffin, Jenny Lowe, Anna Price, Latika Ahuja, Alison Bethel, Elizabeth Croot, Maxine Johnson, Ruth Wong and Susan K Baxter. We thank the Families Lobbying & Advising Sheffield (FLASh) carers group (Sheffield, UK), the Royal Mencap Society’s ‘Treat Me Well’ group (London, UK), staff employed by Mencap support unit and Speakup Self Advocacy (Rotherham, UK) for contributions to the intellectual disabilities project. We thank Emma Hock and Lesley Uttley on the Access to Social Care project. We thank members of the Public Advisory Group for the Sheffield Health Services and Delivery Evidence Synthesis Centre and their convener, Susan K Baxter, for input across all three Sheffield case studies. We would also like to thank the staff at the NIHR HSDR programme for their expert advice and flexibility, not just in commissioning these projects, but in enabling us to conduct them in a genuine spirit of partnership and collaboration with all stakeholders.
Rob Anderson would also like to thank Dr Ingemar Bohlin (University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden) for the invitation to attend and present at the International Workshop on Formalised Procedures and Informality in Research Practices, 28 February–1 March 2018, Gothenburg, Sweden, which partly inspired the suggested focus and informed some of the reflections in this report.
Contributions of authors
Rob Anderson (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3523-8559) (Professor of Health Services and Implementation Research) initially proposed the focus and methods for this reflective report; drafted the Exeter case studies; wrote the discussion section, partly based on an online ‘sandpit’ meeting about the case studies and the draft discussion section; and read, provided feedback and approved the final submitted version.
Andrew Booth (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4808-3880) (Reader in Evidence-Based Information Practice) drafted the Sheffield case studies with input from the other Sheffield synthesis centre members; wrote the discussion section, partly based on an online ‘sandpit’ meeting about the case studies and the draft discussion section; and read, provided feedback and approved the final submitted version.
Alison Eastwood (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1079-7781) (Professor of Research) wrote the two York case studies with input from their wider team; was involved in an online ‘sandpit’ meeting about the case studies and the draft discussion section; and read, provided feedback and approved the final submitted version.
Mark Rodgers (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5196-9239) (Research Fellow, evidence synthesis) wrote the two York case studies with input from their wider team; was involved in an online ‘sandpit’ meeting about the case studies and the draft discussion section; and read, provided feedback and approved the final submitted version.
Liz Shaw (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6092-5019) (Research Fellow, systematic reviews) drafted the Exeter case studies; was involved in an online ‘sandpit’ meeting about the case studies and the draft discussion section; and read, provided feedback and approved the final submitted version.
Jo Thompson Coon (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5161-0234) (Professor of Evidence Synthesis and Health Policy) drafted the Exeter case studies; was involved in an online ‘sandpit’ meeting about the case studies and the draft discussion section; read, provided feedback and approved the final submitted version.
Simon Briscoe (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6982-4521) (Information Specialist) drafted the Exeter case studies and read, provided feedback and approved the final submitted version.
Anna Cantrell (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0040-9853) (Research Fellow, evidence synthesis) provided input for the Sheffield case studies and read, provided feedback and approved the final submitted version.
Duncan Chambers (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0154-0469) (Research Fellow, evidence synthesis) provided input for the Sheffield case studies and read, provided feedback and approved the final submitted version.
Elizabeth Goyder (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3691-1888) (Professor of Public Health) provided input for the Sheffield case studies and read, provided feedback and approved the final submitted version.
Michael Nunns (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5500-0911) (Research Fellow, systematic reviews) drafted the Exeter case studies and read, provided feedback and approved the final submitted version.
Louise Preston (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7477-4517) (Senior Research Fellow) provided input for the Sheffield case studies and read, provided feedback and approved the final submitted version.
Gary Raine (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0354-0518) (Research Fellow, Evidence Synthesis) provided input for the two York case studies and read, provided feedback and approved the final submitted version.
Sian Thomas (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0917-0068) (former Research Fellow, Evidence Synthesis) provided input for the two York case studies and read, provided feedback and approved the final submitted version.
Data-sharing statement
Requests for access to data should be addressed to the corresponding author or, if appropriate, to the corresponding author of the case study reviews. Access to anonymised data may be granted following review.
Disclaimers
This report presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The views and opinions expressed by authors in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the NHS, the NIHR, NETSCC, the HS&DR programme or the Department of Health and Social Care. If there are verbatim quotations included in this publication the views and opinions expressed by the interviewees are those of the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect those of the authors, those of the NHS, the NIHR, NETSCC, the HS&DR programme or the Department of Health and Social Care.