Decluttering primary care in England to improve patient safety

PI Title: Yuan Tian

Lead member: University of Manchester 

Aims and Objectives:

This project focuses on identifying and reducing “low-value care” in general practice, that is, treatments, tests, or prescriptions that are unlikely to benefit patients and may even cause harm or waste NHS resources. Current studies largely define low-value care from a medical perspective, but it is essential to understand how patients and the public perceive value in healthcare, and to ensure their views inform how low-value care is identified and addressed.
The aim of this PPIE proposal is to ensure that patient and public perspectives are embedded in every stage of this work, from how low-value care is defined, to how it is measured, interpreted, and shared. We will work collaboratively with members of the public, healthcare professionals to co-develop meaningful indicators that reflect both clinical evidence and lived experience; help interpret findings from national datasets in ways that make sense to patients and communities; and co-create accessible resources to support dissemination of the research, improve communication, raise awareness, and contribute to positive change in practice.

Our approach includes three main phases:

1. Co-development of Indicators (January–March 2026)
   We will run Indicator Evaluation Workshops that bring together public contributors and healthcare professionals to review a set of draft low-value care indicators already developed by our previous delphi study. The group will discuss whether these indicators reflect real-world patient experiences, whether they seem useful and understandable, and whether anything is missing. These sessions will help ensure the indicators represent the concerns and what matters to patients.
2. Interpretation of Results (March 2026–October 2026)
   We will run Lay Interpretation Sessions where public contributors help interpret the findings from national-level data using the co-developed indicators, where patient and public contributors are shown early quantitative results and suggest explanations, and flag areas that seem counterintuitive or concerning.
   We will also run Data Storytelling Workshops, where researchers and public members work together to turn technical findings into clear, engaging stories, charts, or messages suitable for the wider public.
3. Co-design of Dissemination October–December 2026)
   To make sure the research findings are widely understood and used, we will co-create communication materials through:
   • Public Editing Panels for plain language summaries and factsheets,
   • Design Sprints with the PPIE Advisory Group to develop posters, animations, or online content,

Amount awarded: £2,000