EVALUATION OF THE REGIONAL INTEGRATION FUND (RIF)

List of Reports and Study Outputs to date | December 2025

Welsh Government has commissioned a partnership to deliver an independent and comprehensive evaluation in order to assess the aims, implementation, and impact of the Health and Social Care Regional Integration Fund (RIF) 2022-2027. The evaluation is ongoing, and is constituted of three phases and key questions:

Phases 1 and 2 have now been completed and reports and other outputs as outlined below are available.

1. Conceptualisation

From theory to practice: conceptualising the guiding principles within the Regional Integration Fund (Llewellyn and Verity, 2024)

This is the first major output from the study, setting out the ideas and values informing the RIF as understood from a range of perspectives. It synthesises findings from four reports providing supporting evidence:

• Supporting Evidence 1: Framework for Change (Verity and Llewellyn, 2023)

• Supporting Evidence 2: Realist Review of the literature (Tetlow et al., 2024)

• Supporting Evidence 3: Group Concept Mapping on conceptualising the RIF (Wallace and Wallace, 2024)

• Supporting Evidence 4: In-depth Scoping Interviews report (Bryer and Bebb, 2024)

In addition, a short paper was published by Llewellyn and Verity (2025) for the Institute for Welsh Affairs reflecting on the nature of time-limited Government funds like RIF: System transformation or cliff-edge?

2. Implementation

Implementing the RIF: experiences of embedding the principles of the fund in practice (Llewellyn and Verity, 2025)

This report addresses questions of RIF implementation. It also reflects on changes to the policy and political context, including momentum around the development of the ‘Integrated Community Care System’ for Wales. In doing so, it draws on three reports providing supporting evidence:

• Supporting Evidence 1: Qualitative Interviews Report: implementation of RIF (Bebb et al, 2025)

• Supporting Evidence 2: Group Concept Mapping on implementing the RIF (Wallace and Wallace, 2025)

• Supporting Evidence 3: The effectiveness and cost benefit of integrated health and social care programmes in the UK and Ireland (Spencer et al., 2025)

National Evaluation of the Regional Integration Fund

Study Leads: Mark Llewellyn and Fiona Verity

Study Team: Heledd Bebb, Nia Bryer, Tony Garthwaite, Lisa Griffiths, Mary Lynch, Simon Newstead, Llinos Haf Spencer, Sion Tetlow, Carolyn Wallace and Sarah Wallace

Partners: Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care · University of South Wales, Brunel University, Swansea University, OB3 Research, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland

Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care, University of South Wales, Pontypridd, CF37 1DL, mark.llewellyn@southwales.ac.uk