Author: CLAHRC

Government announces £135 million investment in applied health research to equip NHS, public health and social care for the future

The funding will tackle the biggest challenges the health and care system faces over the next five years

Baroness Nicola Blackwood, Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care, visits ARC North Thames on the day of the announcement

ARC researchers, staff and patient partners welcomed Baroness Blackwood (centre) to the launch at Barts Health NHS Trust

The NHS is joining forces with some of the country’s best universities, leading innovators and local authorities to solve some of the biggest issues facing health and social care over the next five years.

From October 1st NIHR ARC North Thames (alongside fourteen regional partnerships across England) has been awarded funding through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) for ground-breaking new research that will address the increasing demands on the NHS, public health and social care, improve outcomes and services and reduce inequalities.

NIHR ARC North Thames is a partnership of six leading universities (UCL, QMUL, LSE, LSHTM, City and UEL), the NHS and councils (across Central and East London, Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire), patients, communities, charities and industry. All share a commitment to improve health and social care services and to reduce inequalities.

We focus on five Themes: mental health, multimorbidity, population health and social care, innovation and implementation, health economics and data.

We have studies planned in areas where we can achieve significant advances in tackling major health and care challenges– from reducing urgent care admissions to improving management of frailty; developing and evaluating pathways linking primary, secondary, and social care; addressing fairness and quality in provision of mental health services for all ages; developing the potential of diverse data for examining variations in outcomes; and providing tools to drive implementation across diverse settings.

We will examine persistent problems (such as child health inequalities, impacts of multiple disadvantage, pollution, polypharmacy and sustainable social care) and emerging issues (such as gambling, knife crime and built infrastructure for sustainability).

We have also been designated as the national ARC lead for population health.

Academy

We will train frontline NHS and Public Health staff in applied research skills. This will support them to use the highest quality research in their work for patient and public benefit. We will also enable them to develop into research leaders, widening our network of experts, thus ensuring that future research is grounded in health and care settings and in communities, so meeting their most pressing practical needs.

Public and Community Involvement

We have highly valued public partners who keep our work relevant and where necessary challenge our priorities, ideas and proposed research. Our aim is to deliver research in communities with communities and for communities.

We welcomed Baroness Blackwood to the national ARC launch at our host Trust Barts Health’s Royal London Hospital where the Minster met ARC academics and staff.

NIHR ARC North Thames Director Professor Rosalind Raine (pictured, centre with the Minister) said:

“The key to achieving the Holy Grail of delivering world-leading research and rapid impact is to work hand in glove with our partners. We are designed to be agile enough to tackle major emerging issues that come from the ground up, from frontline staff, patients and the public.  So our results will be of direct value and can be readily spread across the country in partnership with our AHSN, UCLPartners.

We are also passionate about reducing inequalities. We must achieve benefits for all those in our region, which encompasses a range of neighbourhoods including the third most deprived in England. We also serve ethnically diverse and highly mobile communities. By closely collaborating with ARCs across the country, we will ensure that our research is truly relevant to different social and demographic groups whether they live in urban or rural settings”.

Health Minister Nicola Blackwood said:

“As the population grows and demand on the NHS increases, it is paramount we develop the next generation of technologies and improve the way we work to ensure the NHS continues to offer world-leading care.

“The UK has a proud history of cutting edge health research and by supporting the great minds in health and social care, this funding has the potential to unlock solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing healthcare and revolutionise the way patients access treatments in the future.”

Clinical leaders across the UK and our region share their priorities

It is important that research and innovation focuses on the most important questions and challenges if it is to have the best impact on patients, the health and social care workforce and the NHS. Different areas of the country have different population profiles and consequently different health needs and service delivery challenges.

What we are doing

Alongside our colleagues at UCLPartners – the academic health science network (or AHSN) for North Thames – we are working with a range of stakeholders in our region to define local innovation and research needs.

This work is informed by a national survey commissioned by the AHSN Network, NHS England and our funder the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), which aimed to provide a detailed understanding of innovation and research needs at local level across all academic health science networks (AHSNs).

National findings

The national survey, conducted by the independent research agency ComRes and published in May 2019 collected the views of health stakeholders, including clinical leaders, managers and directors. Carried out between June and October 2018, the survey involved qualitative interviews with 61 people and a questionnaire which received more than 250 responses.

While there were some differences in regional priorities, common themes emerged which reflected wider challenges facing the NHS and align with the priorities of the NHS Long Term Plan.

These include:

• a need for innovation and research addressing workforce challenges
• delivery of mental health services and providing care for patients with mental health needs, particularly in children and young people
• integrating services to provide effective care for patients with complex needs – including multimorbidity and frailty
• use of digital and artificial intelligence technology

Local findings – the picture in North Thames

Many of the national findings were reflected in the interviews and questionnaires carried out with stakeholders in the UCLPartners region (although the sample size at local level means these can only be considered indicative findings).

Our local stakeholders interviewed as part of the survey viewed workforce issues and use of digital technology and AI as high priorities, but also viewed primary care as a priority. Mental illness and multimorbidity were also viewed as priority areas.

Of a number of specific patient groups put to them, national stakeholders chose people with mental health conditions, older people and socially isolated people as the top three priorities for research and innovation (62%, 50% and 46%). UCLPartners stakeholders also viewed the first two groups as priorities, but were more likely to view children and young people and those from low income backgrounds as a priority than older people.

Next steps

Our colleagues at UCLPartners will be facilitating further regional discussions, involving a range of local stakeholders, to refine the priorities identified. The findings from these discussions will inform a statement of local innovation and research needs.

The life chances and wellbeing of young people are shaped by factors well beyond their immediate home and family life. The communities and neighbourhoods we grow up in play a big part in our development and health, and the quality of life we enjoy – or endure.

ActEarly is a major study launched this month. It will see researchers working with communities to build the “big picture” of factors impacting children’s health. This work is funded by the UK Prevention Research Partnership (UKPRP) – an alliance of research funders committed to supporting research into the primary prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

ActEarly will investigate what external factors influence our health and wellbeing so we can act early to better support healthy childhoods.

The ultimate aim is to improve the life chances of children in two predominantly deprived areas in the UK, Bradford (Yorkshire) and Tower Hamlets (London) focusing on three main areas –  healthy places, healthy learning and healthy livelihoods.

Professor John Wright, who will be leading the study gives the background to this research and what it aims to achieve in a new blog

£25 million funding awarded to leading disease prevention projects

Back to listing 9 May 2019 In its first ever funding round, the UK Prevention Research Partnership (UKPRP) is investing £25 million into understanding and influencing the social, economic and environmental factors that affect our health.