By The Health Foundation (August 2012)
This report describes a new approach to priority setting called Star (socio-technical allocation of resources) designed to help commissioners and others pinpoint where they may be able to get additional value from their resources by using them more effectively. It works by producing simple visual models, developed interactively with stakeholders, so that everyone involved can understand the nature of the choices to be made, and the disadvantages of not changing current practices. The approach combines value for money analysis with stakeholder engagement. This allows those planning services to determine how resources can be most effectively invested, while the engagement of stakeholders means the decisions are understood and supported by those most affected.