An insight from Fiona Lyne, Co-Director, IFIC Ireland
I had the pleasure of chairing this recent IFIC Ireland webinar on Evaluating Integrated Care in Ireland: Challenges, Enablers and Lessons for Practice. The session explored how evaluation can help us understand whether change in our health and social care systems is truly improving lives, and how evidence can guide smarter, more compassionate decision-making.
Our speakers were Dr Niamh Lennox-Chhugani, Chief Executive and Director of Research at the International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC); Dr Arturo Alvarez-Rosete, Senior Researcher and Head of IFIC Solutions; and Professor Áine Carroll, Professor of Healthcare Integration and Improvement at University College Dublin (UCD), Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine at the National Rehabilitation Hospital, Co-Director of IFIC Ireland and Chair of IFIC.
Dr Niamh Lennox-Chhugani – Embedding evaluation from the start
Niamh began by describing evaluation as a structured process for learning about what has changed, what works, and how outcomes can be improved. She argued that evaluation must be built into programme design from the beginning, not added later as an afterthought.
She explored how effective evaluation depends on clarity of purpose: knowing who will use the findings and for what decisions. This perspective helps ensure that evaluation stays connected to action. Niamh also discussed the importance of developing a clear theory of change and revisiting it as programmes evolve. She encouraged using validated frameworks, such as IFIC’s 9 Pillars, to support consistency and shared understanding across teams.
Her message was that evaluation should be purposeful and proportionate. It must generate learning that informs resource decisions, strengthens delivery, and is communicated in accessible ways to all stakeholders, including people using services.
Dr Arturo Alvarez-Rosete – Evaluation in practice
Arturo shared insights from recent evaluations led by IFIC Solutions, including the Mid-Term Review of the National Traveller Health Action Plan, the Evaluation of the Mental Health Crisis Resolution Services Pilot, and the Evaluation of the Healthy Age Friendly Homes Programme.
Through these examples, he showed how evaluation can guide programme development in real time. The Traveller Health review is helping identify progress and inform adjustments for the remainder of the plan. The crisis resolution evaluation is exploring how fidelity and adaptation vary across sites. The Healthy Age Friendly Homes evaluation is assessing both outcomes and economic value as the programme scales nationally.
Arturo noted recurring challenges: system reorganisation, fragmented data systems, and the need for more participatory approaches involving people with lived experience. Yet he highlighted Ireland’s growing culture of learning and openness to evidence as key strengths. This willingness to adapt and reflect, he suggested, provides a strong foundation for continuous improvement.
Professor Áine Carroll – Linking theory and practice
Áine reflected on the meaning of evaluation within a system that is itself dynamic and complex. Integrated care, she reminded us, is not a single model but a way of thinking about relationships, coordination, and outcomes that matter to people. Evaluation must therefore reflect this diversity.
She spoke about balancing theory and practice, showing how each informs the other. Evaluation, she said, should be a space for dialogue between evidence and lived experience. Strong evaluation is not defined by complexity but by clarity, fitness for purpose, and usefulness.
Áine concluded with a reminder that the true outcome of evaluation is not the report produced but the change it supports. The measure of success is whether evaluation leads to better lives for people and communities.
Professor Áine Carroll – Linking theory and practice
Áine reflected on the meaning of evaluation within a system that is itself dynamic and complex. Integrated care, she reminded us, is not a single model but a way of thinking about relationships, coordination, and outcomes that matter to people. Evaluation must therefore reflect this diversity.
She spoke about balancing theory and practice, showing how each informs the other. Evaluation, she said, should be a space for dialogue between evidence and lived experience. Strong evaluation is not defined by complexity but by clarity, fitness for purpose, and usefulness.
Áine concluded with a reminder that the true outcome of evaluation is not the report produced but the change it supports. The measure of success is whether evaluation leads to better lives for people and communities.
Shared messages
Across all three contributions, several themes stood out:
- Evaluation is part of design, not an endpoint. Building it in from the outset strengthens clarity, accountability, and learning.
- Complex systems require flexible approaches. Evaluation must be able to capture variation and adaptation without losing focus.
- Data and meaning are equally important. Quantitative indicators need to be paired with insight from people and communities.
- Open communication builds trust. Sharing results transparently helps evaluation drive improvement rather than compliance.
- Ireland’s culture of learning is growing. Continued investment in skills, data infrastructure, and co-production will sustain that progress.
Conclusion
This session affirmed that evaluation is integral to the journey of integrated care. It helps systems learn, adapt, and stay focused on what matters most—people’s experiences and outcomes. As Áine reminded us:
“The real outcome of evaluation isn’t a report, it’s changed lives. When we evaluate differently, embracing context, complexity and learning, we create the conditions for care to improve.”
As chair, I was struck by how each speaker brought a complementary perspective: Niamh reminding us that evaluation begins with intent, Arturo grounding it in real-world examples, and Áine framing it as a shared practice of understanding and improvement. Together, they made a compelling case for evaluation as a living part of integrated care, one that helps us keep learning and doing better.
Fiona Lyne
International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC)