Health inequalities are impacted by many factors in our surroundings such as where we live, our education, employment, and relationships – these are also known as wider determinants of health.
Research into those determinants is key to discovering how we can improve population health and reduce inequalities through the services we deliver and our wider role in the community.
About Health Determinants Research Collaborations (HDRCs)
HDRCs are funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and are hosted by local authorities.
They provide an infrastructure that enables local authorities to collaborate with the academic sector and other institutions, combining their knowledge and research skills, to conduct high quality research that will help make evidence-informed decisions in important areas impacting community health.
HDRCs also involve diverse communities in making decisions about research areas and how the research is undertaken.
HDRC in Leicestershire
We have been successful in our bid to the NIHR to establish and host a HDRC at Leicestershire County Council.
Subject to final NIHR confirmation in the autumn, £5.25 million of funding will be awarded to the council as part of a wide-ranging five-year programme to find out more about the health differences in the county and how the health of our communities can be improved.
With the average living age in Leicestershire up to six years lower in some areas compared to others, along with differences in other wider determinants of health, our approach aims to take a comprehensive look at how we can best reduce these inequalities.
Research-led action will become part of our day-to-day business across all departments, bringing sustained culture change to the council and our decision-making processes.
Over the next year, we will develop plans to make sure the funding is invested in the right infrastructure that brings the greatest long-term benefit to Leicestershire for when the research collaboration begins in 2025.
Partners
The collaboration will take place with the University of Leicester, De Montfort University, University of Nottingham, and Loughborough University.
NHS, voluntary, and community partners in Leicestershire are also a key part of the innovative collaboration.
Working with communities and public involvement will be at the heart of the HDRC. The research collaboration will establish a public advisory group and citizens assemblies will be used to identify and prioritise areas for research.
About NIHR
The NIHR funds, enables, and delivers world-leading health and social care research that improves people's health and wellbeing and promotes economic growth.
NIHR HDRCs enable local authorities to become more research-active, embedding a culture of evidence-based decision making.
The NIHR has awarded £150 million to 30 HDRCs across the UK, to provide the capacity and capability for local authorities to undertake public health research to address the wider determinants of health and health inequalities.
The NIHR HDRC Leicestershire is part of the NIHR and hosted by Leicestershire County Council.
Contact
To find out more about the Leicestershire’s HDRC, including how to get involved, please email hdrc@leics.gov.uk