This year’s HSR UK conference saw our first fringe event designed to support Heads of Centres from member organisations to connect, network, and discuss their priorities for HSR UK’s work. One item identified this year was the opportunity to respond to proposals for REF2028 and to advocate for making REF structures work better for health and care services research (HSR).
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published their early decisions about REF2028 at the end of June 2023, followed by a focused consultation on various aspects of REF, including the UoA structure.
HSR UK trustees Pete Bower and Kieran Walshe, and member leads Alicia O’Cathain and Jo Rycroft-Malone, prepared a response to REF2028 on behalf of the Heads of Centres group. One key question was whether HSR UK would advocate for changes to the Units of Assessment (UoA) structure to create a UoA for HSR, or argue for valuing HSR appropriately in existing UoAs, such as UoA2 and UoA3 where the majority of HSR currently sits. The group agreed that the best approach was to argue for improved recognition of HSR, particularly qualitative research, and for HSR UK and the wider HSR community to identify ways in which we can become further involved in, and influence, REF2028 in the future.
Read the full HSR REF2028 Policy Consultation Submission here.