Aberdeen Health Determinants Research Collaborative (AHDRC)

Vision:

Aberdeen City Council is a research active organisation, commissioning and generating research, curating and translating research evidence to support people to be healthy, happy and prosper regardless of their background or where they live. The AHDRC facilitates a supportive and sustainable research environment, enabling the acquisition of skills and training, generating and translating interdisciplinary research to support a post-pandemic recovery, a sustainable and just economic transition, reduce current and prevent future health inequalities, and improve health in the City, Scotland, the UK and internationally.

Background:

The downturn in oil and gas and the pivot to alternative energy has “shocked” the socio-economic climate in Aberdeen which is transforming ahead of and at a greater pace than other areas. The Council and its partners are working together to manage both opportunities and risks, particularly to mitigate inequalities negatively impacting physical and mental health.

We recognise that this needs evidence-based interventions grounded in robust research. Our proposal positions the AHDRC within the existing governance arrangements of the Council and the City’s Community Planning Partnership. The AHDRC cannot be apart from strategies, plans and improvements to which partners and citizens are committed.

In this way, there will be a clear pathway for the AHDRC’s work to be informed by the City’s research priorities and to support decision-making through a deeper understanding of health determinants. Aims and objectives: To support improvement in public health outcomes through:

Research capacity & leadership; evidence to support decision-making and translation of evidence into practice; an enabling research eco-system; a positive research culture and skills to support confident engagement with research; involvement of stakeholders and the public; and dissemination of learning from the AHDRC.

Key Deliverables:

A 5-year research programme aligned to the cities priorities; professionals and citizens upskilled in research; evidence reviews available to support decision-making; evaluation embedded into tests of change and service design; engaged and involved stakeholders, communities and citizens; a pipeline of bids to research funders; effective dissemination of learning; accessible and research ready health determinants datasets; a culture which champions the use of research; a knowledge base with libraries of research, data and lived experience narratives.

Collaborations/partnerships:

The AHDRC will be led by Aberdeen City Council with co-applicants from NHS Grampian; University of Aberdeen, Robert Gordon University as well as community representatives. We have engaged positively, and will develop relationships with, national bodies to deliver collectively of the AHDRC aims and objectives. We will also build on already extensive structures, tools and relationships to ensure continuous and effective stakeholder and community engagement and involvement.

Anticipated impact and dissemination:

The AHDRC will transform the research culture of ACC, by investing in skills, knowledge, infrastructure and by exploiting the academic and professional capacity which already exists. By building the AHDRC within the Community Planning Partnership, the social, economic and environmental aspect of health determinants and inequalities will be better understood, learning shared, decision making enhanced and health outcomes improved.