Leicestershire County Council Health Determinants Research Collaboration; driving evidence-based decision making

VISION/AIMS

To minimise avoidable health inequalities and have a more equal, healthy, and prosperous Leicestershire. The Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) funding will enhance the infrastructure, capability and capacity to use existing and generate new research evidence that informs wider determinants of health policy and practice.

BACKGROUND

Leicestershire County Council (LCC) is an upper tier local authority with a growing population and hidden diverse needs. Whilst relatively healthy and wealthy overall, there are significant inequalities within, including child poverty, fuel poverty, rural isolation and age-related morbidity. LCC and its district councils are working together to address these inequalities through its Wider Determinants of Health and Air Quality Action Plans. The HDRC will help LCC use and generate the underpinning evidence.

DELIVERY PLAN OBJECTIVES LCC’s research culture will develop through six pillars of action: 1.Increasing community participation in research, adopting the UK Standards for public involvement

2.Maximizing new and existing data and expanding expertise in data engineering, artificial intelligence, evidence synthesis and qualitative methods 3.Building research capacity through training, academic career pathways and building community research confidence

4.Developing collaboration with academic partners, capitalising on the existing local NIHR infrastructure through a ‘One NIHR’ approach 5.Continuous improvement using an external developmental evaluation of performance and outcomes 6.Mobilising knowledge into policy and practice, working with the networks and district councils

The HDRC unit will be integrated into the council’s existing governance and core business. It will report to an Internal Leadership Board chaired by HDRC Co-Directors, Corporate Management Team, Cabinet, and Full Council. The External Oversight Committee and Public Advisory Group will bring partners together to share expertise.

KEY DELIVERABLES – development year 1) Establish a ‘research environment’ plan for the HDRC

The plan will set out the building blocks for creating an active research environment in collaboration with stakeholders. 2) Produce a research workforce development strategy

The strategy will set out how to build research capable authority, supporting staff research skills development and recruitment of the HDRC team. 3) Establish the Public Advisory Group

We will recruit the Public Advisory Group (PAG) so that they can help us develop our public and community involvement, engagement and participation (PCIEP) strategy and understand who our underserved communities are and their health needs. 4) Develop a research governance plan

This plan will set out accountability structures and reporting pathways, how the HDRC will be supported through the senior leadership of the council and through the political processes. KEY DELIVERABLES – HDRC

Include: a research team that will generate research income and impactful academic outputs; an external developmental evaluation; a research skills development plan of formal and informal staff and community research training; and a knowledge mobilisation plan setting out how to achieve impact. The PCIEP strategy will put public inclusivity at the centre.

COLLABORATIONS/PARTNERSHIPS

LCC’s HDRC includes partners from: the universities of Loughborough, De Montfort, Nottingham and Leicester, including the Biomedical Research Centre and ARC-funded Centre for Ethnic Health Research; Voluntary Action and Healthwatch Leicestershire; the What Works Network and Leicester Academic Health Partners.

DELIVERY TIMELINES AND MILESTONES Year 1: Implementation of HDRC structures, PCIEP strategy and Citizens’ Assembly for research prioritisation. Years 2-3: Embed research training, undertake new research, implement external evaluation findings. Years 4-5: Increase research portfolio, disseminate findings and mobilise into practice.

ANTICIPATED IMPACT AND DISSEMINATION

Will be achieved through academic (conferences, peer reviewed publications) and other (briefings, videos, infographic posters, social media) routes informed by the Public Advisory Group. The pillars of action will help overcome barriers to long-term impact, deliver health promoting services that minimise health inequalities.