Liverpool HDRC

Background, aims and objectives:

Liverpool has some of the worst health outcomes in the country. A girl born in Kensington, Liverpool can expect to live 13 fewer years in good health than one born in Kensington, London. The State of Health in the City: Liverpool 2040 projects that unless action is taken health outcomes and health inequalities will worsen by 2040.

The report outlines that to reduce this health divide we need to drive collective action on improving the social determinants of health and identifies the Health Determinants Research Collaboration Liverpool (HDRC Liverpool) as key programme to improve health outcomes.

Our vision is to embed HDRC Liverpool as part of a collaborative learning city system, co-producing knowledge for whole system change.

The overall aim of the project is to use research to drive improved population health outcomes (e.g., increase life expectancy and healthy life expectancy) and to reduce health inequalities.

We will do this by bringing partners together around an improved understanding of ‘what works’ in tackling the underlying the social, economic and environmental factors that lead to poor health in local communities. The objectives of HDRC Liverpool are to: a. Build research capacity and capability within Liverpool City Council

b. Involve and empower our local communities through the co-design, co-delivery, and co-dissemination of health determinants research c. Develop a culture of evidence-informed decision making within Liverpool City Council

d. Increase the amount of research investment in Liverpool in relation to determinants of health and ensure that future research undertaken is more relevant to local policy making Collaborations/Partnerships:

HDRC Liverpool is led by Liverpool City Council but is a collaboration between the Council, the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool CVS, Healthwatch Liverpool and our local communities.

HDRC Liverpool will foster strong partnerships across the region as a priority, and we aim to establish a local government research network encompassing Liverpool City Region and Cheshire and Merseyside area. Timelines and milestones for delivery:

We have set milestones over 5-years in 3 phases: Engagement, baseline assessment and development (Years 1-2), Implementing and testing (Years 2-3), embedding and extending (Years 3-5).

Delivery of the HDRC Liverpool programme will be via 5 support units that focus on i) Civic data integration ii) Decision Support (evidence synthesis and modelling) iii) Community Evidence Network (Public involvement) iv) Capacity building and training v) Knowledge mobilisation. Anticipated impact and dissemination:

The impact of the HDRC Liverpool will be actions on the determinants of health that are co-designed with local communities and address population needs. Our dissemination strategy will focus on internally changing culture and practice across Liverpool City Council’s departments and civic partnership and externally influencing evidenced based local government practice.

Outputs from HDRC Liverpool will include tools and methods for embedding research and evidenced based decision making in local government, outputs providing new evidence of what local government actions work to reduce health inequalities and products tailored to the needs of specific audiences (the public, local authorities, the voluntary sector, and industry).