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Dr Ailsa Cook

Director

Ailsa is a leader in the field of outcomes. Through her research and work with policy and practice, Ailsa has made a significant contribution to shifting the focus of public services in Scotland towards the outcomes that are important to citizens and communities. She has done this through:

  1. Research into the outcomes important to people who use services; the practice of outcome measurement and recording and the use of outcomes focused approaches across public services.
  2. Leading pioneering improvement programmes bringing organisations together to develop and improve practice in focusing on outcomes at programme, personal and population levels. Working with policy makers to ensure a focus on outcomes is supported by policy.
  3. Leading training and capacity building to understand and use evidence for outcomes.
  4. Evaluating innovative outcomes focused services and programmes using theory-based approaches to evaluation, particularly contribution analysis.

 

Ailsa is a co-originator of the Talking Points Personal Outcomes Approach, now used across thousands of organisations in Scotland and beyond.

Ailsa’s latest insights

  • Notes from the field: successful partnership working in Uruguay

    As part of our impact study of the Global Kids Online research programme…

    Inside Matter of Focus
  • Sharing the learning: how can we embed meaningful outcome evaluation?

    We are aware that embedding meaningful outcome evaluation in organisations…

    Working with outcomes and evaluation
  • Seminar report: Meaningful outcome evaluation, a practical approach for public services (1st Nov 2018)

    On 1st November 2018 we held our first public seminar at…

    Training and events
    • Read all

    Ailsa’s publications

    Outcomes Based Approaches in Public Service Reform (2017)

    A position paper written by Ailsa Cook for What Works Scotland. The paper draws together findings from formal research and the grey literature that has examined the use of outcomes based approaches in public service across the UK and internationally.

    Focusing on Outcomes: Their Role in Partnership Policy and Practice (2005)

    Alison Petch, Ailsa Cook and Emma Miller. Journal of Integrated Care, Vol. 13 Issue: 6, pp.3-12

    Talking Points: Personal Outcomes Approach. Practical Guide (2012)

    Ailsa Cook and Emma Miller. Joint Improvement Team Scotland. pdf hosted at jitscotland.org.uk.

    Partnership working and outcomes: do health and social care partnerships deliver for people using services (2013)

    Alison Petch, Ailsa Cook and Emma Miller. Health and Social Care in the Community. 21 (6): 623-633.

    Partnership Working across UK Public Services (2015)

    A review paper written by Ailsa Cook for What Works Scotland. The review brings together evidence from empirical research on UK public service partnerships reported in peer reviewed journals or the grey literature between January 2000 and July 2015

    Can we mandate partnership working? Top down meets bottom up in structural reforms in Scotland and Norway (2018)

    Guro Øyen Huby, Ailsa Cook and Ralf Kirchhoff, Journal of Integrated Care 26(2): 109-119.