Gateshead Council awarded £5m to develop research collaboration
Gateshead Council has been awarded £5m to fund the development of its research capabilities over the next five years, to help tackle health inequalities.
Gateshead is one of 10 local authorities to receive funding as part of a £50m investment by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The funding will enable the council to develop a Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) with Newcastle University, which will equip us with the skills, expertise and capacity to plan and deliver research that will ultimately help residents to live healthier and more fulfilling lives.
Read more from the Department of Health and Social Care (opens new window)
People's lives are complex and are influenced by a wide range of factors, including housing, employment, education, access to services, support during childhood and poverty. As a result, there can be as much as a 10 year difference in life expectancy for two babies born today in Gateshead, depending on the circumstances into which they're born. To address this, a deeper understanding of these issues and giving residents a voice in identifying how best to tackle them is essential.
Alice Wiseman, Director of Public Health, said: "We're thrilled to have been awarded this level of funding, which highlights the importance of partnership working and evidence-based decision making. Sadly, health inequalities remain stubbornly persistent in Gateshead and in order for the Council to achieve its vision of giving all of our residents the opportunity to thrive, it's crucial that we prioritise our limited resources where they are needed the most.
This funding will enable us to do that by significantly improving our research capabilities, to give us much more insight into the challenges and opportunities faced by the most disadvantaged groups in our communities. In turn, this insight will enable us to develop our services to better meet their needs and ultimately, reduce inequalities."
Councillor Lynne Caffrey, Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board, said: "The Health Determinants Research Collaboration presents us with a really exciting opportunity in Gateshead, to build up a unique evidence base that will help us deliver services to our communities which really do make a difference - improving lives and life expectancy. The HDRC will allow us to fully evaluate and research what we can really do when health, statutory services, voluntary services and communities work together and to showcase this as a model of the difference that systematic and real collaboration makes."
Newcastle City Council has also been awarded HDRC funding and the two local authorities will continue to work together to make sure both research programmes complement each other and maximise the benefits for the wider region.
Eileen Kaner, Professor of Public Health and Primary Care Research at Newcastle University and Director of NIHR Applied Research Collaboration for the North East and North Cumbria, said: "Although evidence-based decision making is not a new concept for local authorities, the HDRCs will provide a more robust foundation of insight on which to build services that truly make a difference to health outcomes. By combining the local knowledge and experience of the councils and their community partners with the skills and expertise of specialist research teams, we have a unique opportunity to understand and address health challenges - particularly within our most disadvantaged communities, who are disproportionately affected by issues like obesity, drug use and poor mental health.
The HDRCs will give a voice to groups who often aren't heard, enable bold new approaches and ultimately, help people to live healthier, longer and more fulfilling lives in Gateshead, Newcastle and beyond."
Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland have also been selected by NIHR as a a local authority area that will receive development award funding during 2022/23, with a view to them hosting full HDRCs in 2023/24.
Ashley Adamson, Professor of Public Health Nutrition at Newcastle University and Director of Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, said: "Local government in England is ideally placed to draw on and develop evidence to improve the health of our local people and to reduce inequalities. In Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, we have 14 years of experience in working collaboratively with local authorities, developing strong academic partnerships to support a culture of research in local government. We are thrilled with the news today that three local authority areas in the North East have been successful in applying for Health Determinants Research Collaboration funding and look forward to working with the new partnership, and building on the legacy of Fuse."
Gateshead Council has been awarded £5m to fund the development of its research capabilities over the next five years, to help tackle health inequalities.
Gateshead is one of 10 local authorities to receive funding as part of a £50m investment by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The funding will enable the council to develop a Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) with Newcastle University, which will equip us with the skills, expertise and capacity to plan and deliver research that will ultimately help residents to live healthier and more fulfilling lives.
Read more from the Department of Health and Social Care (opens new window)
People's lives are complex and are influenced by a wide range of factors, including housing, employment, education, access to services, support during childhood and poverty. As a result, there can be as much as a 10 year difference in life expectancy for two babies born today in Gateshead, depending on the circumstances into which they're born. To address this, a deeper understanding of these issues and giving residents a voice in identifying how best to tackle them is essential.
Alice Wiseman, Director of Public Health, said: "We're thrilled to have been awarded this level of funding, which highlights the importance of partnership working and evidence-based decision making. Sadly, health inequalities remain stubbornly persistent in Gateshead and in order for the Council to achieve its vision of giving all of our residents the opportunity to thrive, it's crucial that we prioritise our limited resources where they are needed the most.
This funding will enable us to do that by significantly improving our research capabilities, to give us much more insight into the challenges and opportunities faced by the most disadvantaged groups in our communities. In turn, this insight will enable us to develop our services to better meet their needs and ultimately, reduce inequalities."
Councillor Lynne Caffrey, Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board, said: "The Health Determinants Research Collaboration presents us with a really exciting opportunity in Gateshead, to build up a unique evidence base that will help us deliver services to our communities which really do make a difference - improving lives and life expectancy. The HDRC will allow us to fully evaluate and research what we can really do when health, statutory services, voluntary services and communities work together and to showcase this as a model of the difference that systematic and real collaboration makes."
Newcastle City Council has also been awarded HDRC funding and the two local authorities will continue to work together to make sure both research programmes complement each other and maximise the benefits for the wider region.
Eileen Kaner, Professor of Public Health and Primary Care Research at Newcastle University and Director of NIHR Applied Research Collaboration for the North East and North Cumbria, said: "Although evidence-based decision making is not a new concept for local authorities, the HDRCs will provide a more robust foundation of insight on which to build services that truly make a difference to health outcomes. By combining the local knowledge and experience of the councils and their community partners with the skills and expertise of specialist research teams, we have a unique opportunity to understand and address health challenges - particularly within our most disadvantaged communities, who are disproportionately affected by issues like obesity, drug use and poor mental health.
The HDRCs will give a voice to groups who often aren't heard, enable bold new approaches and ultimately, help people to live healthier, longer and more fulfilling lives in Gateshead, Newcastle and beyond."
Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland have also been selected by NIHR as a a local authority area that will receive development award funding during 2022/23, with a view to them hosting full HDRCs in 2023/24.
Ashley Adamson, Professor of Public Health Nutrition at Newcastle University and Director of Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, said: "Local government in England is ideally placed to draw on and develop evidence to improve the health of our local people and to reduce inequalities. In Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, we have 14 years of experience in working collaboratively with local authorities, developing strong academic partnerships to support a culture of research in local government. We are thrilled with the news today that three local authority areas in the North East have been successful in applying for Health Determinants Research Collaboration funding and look forward to working with the new partnership, and building on the legacy of Fuse."
