Northumbria
University is among a team of experts in the region who are leading a national
project to address health inequalities in the country and the prevention of
poor health.
A
new government £16 million health improvement programme in the North East and
North Cumbria has been awarded to a collaboration of universities, the NHS,
local authorities, voluntary organisations, charities and businesses to tackle
issues causing health and care inequalities in the region.
The
National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) has announced its funding for
Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) to tackle key issues facing our health
and social care system, including increasing demands on services due to an
ageing population and aspects linked to austerity.
It
is the first time that the North East and North Cumbria has received this
funding. It will be used to support researchers, practitioners and members of
the public who will work together to improve health, shape how care is
delivered and develop ideas which will try to give children the best start in
life and which help keep people healthier at home for longer.
Themes
will focus on aspects such as prevention of poor health, staying healthy with
long-term conditions, supporting children and families, integrating health and
social care for physical and mental health difficulties, inequalities across
communities, using new technology and information to improve lives. Views of
patients, their families and members of the public will be sought so that the
ARC projects reflect problems that are important to local communities.
Dianne Ford, Pro-Vice
Chancellor for Health and Life Sciences, at Northumbria University, said: “Northumbria
University is an enthusiastic partner in this important work and we are
delighted by the award.
“We bring to
the partnership academic excellence in applied health research, implementation
science and marginalised groups. This investment recognises the strength of our
existing collaborations, the complementarity of our strengths and our drive to
make real differences, informed by innovative new approaches, to the region’s
health, care and wellbeing.”
Northumbria
academics are contributing to all of the themes, leading those relating to Knowledge Mobilisation and Implementation
Science; Multimorbidity, Ageing and Frailty; Evaluating Change with Pace &
Scale and Inequalities & Marginalised Communities. The latter is being led
by the North East North Cumbria ARC
nationally.
The
ARCs vision for the North East and North Cumbria is to achieve ‘better, fairer
health and care at all ages and in all places’.
The
core funding provided by the NIHR is £9 million for five years, however,
regional partners have contributed an additional £7 million.
The
ARC will allow the development of a new team of 23 junior and 11 senior trainee
researchers working across universities, healthcare and social care to improve the quality of life for people in the
region.
Professor
Eileen Kaner from Newcastle University’s Faculty of Medical Sciences, is one of
the leaders of the project, which involves 56 organisations in the North East
and North Cumbria.
Professor
Kaner said: “We are excited about receiving this funding because of the new
opportunities it will bring to improve the health and wellbeing of people in
the area.
“Our
region has challenges due to its geography and there are more health problems
that need to be addressed than other parts of the country. Therefore, it is apt
that we have been asked by the NIHR to take a national lead on prevention and
also on health inequalities.
“The
ARC funding allows researchers to focus on the biggest health and social issues
in our area and develop real solutions that reflect the needs and views of
people living here.
“Much
of the work will focus on the lives of people in the community rather than in
hospital, especially people with common long-term physical and mental health
problems.”
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.”
Great example of
collaboration
One
project that will be rolled out across the North East and North Cumbria, as
part of the ARC, is a scheme which has successfully doubled the number of
pregnant women who quit smoking.
Although
many women are aware of the dangers of smoking while pregnant, some need
additional support to help stop smoking during pregnancy.
A
smoking cessation programme, known as babyClear©,
is a key example of cross-sector collaboration that has involved a variety of
experts involved in public health issues.
BabyClear© follows the National Institute for Health and Care
Excellence (NICE) guidance around smoking in pregnancy by screening pregnant
women for smoking using carbon monoxide monitoring.
Any woman still smoking when she first sees a midwife, at
around eight weeks into pregnancy, is given information about the risks to
their unborn baby and put in contact with agencies that can help support her to
quit.
Research revealed that in a study of 40,000 mothers-to-be,
the number of women helped to stop smoking due to babyClear© almost doubled.
The team found that women who did not smoke in pregnancy went
on to have babies that were more than half-a-pound heavier at full term than
those who continued to smoke.
Even women who quit smoking during their pregnancy were shown
to have heavier babies than those mothers who smoked throughout pregnancy.
