NHS North West London – An evaluation toolkit to support a learning health system

Organisations within the NHS in North West London are working on ways in which a more effective and frequent approach to evaluation can inform better decision-making, leading to better outcomes for the local population, patients and staff members. We worked with the team to design and build an evaluation toolkit website that standardises their approach, streamlines user journeys, and supports staff across the system.

Focusing on what matters

To establish North West London as a true learning health system, the consortium needed a digital platform that could embed a standardised, four-stage approach to evaluation across multiple healthcare organisations. The toolkit website needed to present complex resources, training events, and methodologies in a user-friendly, easily navigable format. It also had to serve as a practical, self-service tool that would empower staff members to confidently conduct evaluations, regardless of their prior experience.

Structured around audience groups

Following user consultation and research at the outset of the project, we structured the information architecture around two distinct groups of consortium staff. For ‘Confident’ users, who are in roles where evaluation is a routine part of the job, the site provides a streamlined, high-speed path directly to advanced resources and specific tools. For ‘Familiarising’ users, who are less accustomed to evaluating projects, the user journey focuses on upskilling, explaining why embedding evaluation matters, and guiding them step-by-step through the process.

Adapting the NHS design framework

The consortium wanted the final design to draw strongly on the trusted, core NHS design framework. We applied the North West London Integrated Care Board’s visual language across the home page hero area, page introductions, and promotional content blocks, while maintaining functional, standardised design patterns for headers, footers, and primary site navigation.

Smart tools and flexible editing

The centerpiece of the new toolkit is an automated ‘decision tree’ tool powered by advanced logic. Users complete a short, intuitive questionnaire about their project types and parameters, and the site instantly computes a score to deliver one of four tailored, standard output recommendations—ranging from a light-touch independent evaluation to direct signposting for an expert coaching session or specialist support. This is supported by an integrated evaluation surgery booking workflow connected to external scheduling platforms.