Overall health spending across OECD countries accounted for 9.3% of GDP on average in 2012 (OECD Health Statistics 2014). Policymakers are keen to ensure that this money is spent wisely and that healthcare organisations are effi cient, effective and equitable in delivering healthcare services and interventions. They are spurred on by the fact that citizens are also concerned about the cost, quality and accessibility of healthcare. Opinion polls in the UK consistently show that healthcare is one of the three most important issues in deciding which political party the public will vote for (Ipsos MORI 2014). But how can policymakers, health service managers and healthcare practitioners ensure that healthcare funds are spent wisely? One response is that they should pay more attention to what we know as a result of healthcare research. There is widespread recognition that research has the potential to inform and guide the improvement of healthcare services, but there is frustration that this potential is often not fulfi lled (Cooksey 2006; CERAG 2008). A gulf continues to exist between what researchers know (the state of the science) and what practitioners do (the state of the art) (Rycroft-Malone et al. 2013). As a result, the quality, cost and patient experience of healthcare continue to be compromised (Davis 2006).