CUMBERLAND Council is to become a centre of excellence in research into local health-related issues.
The council is one of 11 areas to receive a share of £55m through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) which is investing the money to set up new NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaborations (HDRC) across the country.
NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaborations enable local authorities to become more research-active, embedding a culture of evidence-based decision making in their activities.
The council bid for the funding as part of its commitment to put improving the health and wellbeing of residents at the heart of its work. It also wants to take a preventative, evidence-based and innovative approach to the issues many of its resident’s face and embed this across the work of all of its teams.
The council will receive £4.8m to fund a new HDRC for the Cumberland area. The money will go towards the creation of a new research team within the council which will work with partners in the voluntary sector. It will also allow close partnership working with researchers at the University of Cumbria and the University of Central Lancashire. Much of the team's work will focus on some of the more deprived local communities in the area.
By boosting research the council and its partners will have a better understanding of the health issues and inequalities in the area, allowing it to develop strategies on how best to tackle them to improve the health and wellbeing of its residents.
Cllr Emma Williamson, deputy leader and Executive member with responsibility Children, Family Wellbeing and Housing, said: “This is fantastic news for the council, our partners and the wider community. As a council, we set out from the start to make a real difference to people’s lives especially our most vulnerable residents. We want to tackle the real health inequalities within our community and ensure we do what we can so that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy a healthy and active lifestyle, especially into later life.
“By better understanding our communities, and working closely with our partners, we can really get to grips with tackling the health issues they face and make the most effective use of our resources.”
Cllr Markus Campbell-Savours, Executive member with responsibility for Adult and Community Health, added: “This is excellent news, and I am absolutely thrilled that we have been successful in our bid for this funding. As a council we set out to put improving the health and wellbeing of our resident’s lives at the heart of everything we do. We also set out to ensure we approach these issues with evidence-based decision making. So, this initiative is a perfect fit for us.
“Cumbria has lagged behind in its research capacity against other areas, so this funding will very much make up for lost time and opportunities over the years. It is something that has come about because of Cumberland Council of which we can all be very proud of. I very much look forward to seeing the results.”
Colin Cox, Cumberland Council’s Director for Public Health, added: “I’m really excited by this news and thank everyone who helped put our successful bid together. This is a unique opportunity to create a research culture across our organisation. Each of our legacy councils brought different staff, assets and ways of working, but none brought a noticeable legacy of research. So, this is something which is new and unique to Cumberland Council.
“It will allow us to shape the council into a modern, empowering organisation underpinned by research and evidence-based decision making. We can also become a centre of excellence for local authority and community-led research and expertise in health inequalities in coastal, rural and dispersed communities, bringing those skills and understanding together across the council to really make a difference to people’s lives.
“The work starts today to build a dedicated team and make our plans a reality.”
The new HDRC will go live from 1 January 2024.
Boosting research capacity in coastal and rural communities is a key part of NIHR’s work with under-served communities and was highlighted in a recent Chief Medical Officer’s report.