Payment by Results (PbR)

A team from the Health Science Research Group has been successful in gaining a £1million Department of Health grant to evaluate Payment by Results (PbR) schemes in the treatment of addiction. The Manchester team lead by Prof Michael Donmall, Director of NDEC and Professor of Health & Society, and Prof Matt Sutton, Professor of Health Economics, is collaborating with colleagues at Birkbeck, London, RAND Europe and UserVoice, to deliver a robust assessment of this important new approach to the care of problem drug users, in work that has key national policy implications.

The three year study will have process, impact and economic research components in eight pilot sites across England, with comparison to provision before introduction of PbR where possible and to non PbR sites where required. The pilots will be assessed by both process and impact evaluation including reviewing existing research, mapping existing service delivery, and describing each PbR model alongside the different approaches developed. There will be in-depth examination of implementation, delivery and development.

Monitoring data will be analysed alongside extensive interviewing of PbR stakeholders. Treatment outcomes will be analysed statistically in comparison to no-PbR sites via anonymised data linkage of existing data sources. The economic component of the evaluation will assess: the affordability of the schemes; whether the PbR schemes represent good value for money compared to alternative arrangements; the influence on provider behaviour; and the impact on the provider market.