User:Jemimaaaa/SDO Network

The SDO Network (Service Delivery and Organisation Network) is a group of National Health Service organisations in the UK who are concerned with research, evaluation and innovation in the NHS. The Network claims to create links with NHS managers in order to assist them in accessing current health services research.

SDO Network members
Members of the SDO Network consist of NHS primary care trusts, NHS ambulance services trusts, NHS Foundation Trusts, NHS strategic health authorities, NHS care trusts and NHS mental health services trusts. Through the links the Network aims to create NHS managers are able to work with their peers and academics on ways of using research knowledge to improve NHS services.

Work and funding
The gap the Network looks to bridge is that of making academics' health research more easily accessible and understandable for NHS managers. It tries to do this through holding events and seminars illustrating current research evidence including forums for academics to interact with NHS chief executives. The organisation of a number of academic placement fellowships where academics work within NHS organisations and management fellowships where NHS managers work in academic institutions for a period of six months to a year also addresses this issue.

The Network has produced briefings including 'The new innovation landscape' [3] and 'Being a good research partner' [4]. The most recent publication is the first in a new digest series with the topic of the first one highlighting 'recent research on support workers in health'[8].

The Network links with Health Innovation and Education clusters which were set up by the Department of Health to improve innovation and education within the NHS and academic health science centres[5] which are partnerships between one or more universities and healthcare providers focusing on research, clinical services, education and training.

The SDO Network is funded by the Service Delivery and Organisation Programme which is part of the National Institute for Health Research and is managed by the NHS Confederation in London. The NHS Confederation also runs a sister Network called the Health Services Research Network (HSRN) which helps health service researchers interact with NHS management.

Annual Conference
In June each year the SDO Network holds an annual conference in conjunction with the HSRN for academics and NHS Managers in order to present them with the most current health research evidence [7]. The most recent conference was held on 7th - 8th June 2011 at the ACC Liverpool.