Glasgow Health Determinants Research Collaboration

Vision: to improve the health of the people of Glasgow by embedding research-practice collaboration across Glasgow City Council, its partners and communities.

Background: Glasgow has the lowest life expectancy in the UK. In the past decade improvements in life expectancy have stalled and inequalities have grown wider. The key to improving this lies in addressing the wider determinants of health and inequality.

Aims/objectives: to achieve a long-term cultural shift in the Council towards evidence-informed decision-making in all areas of policy and practice that may have an influence on health inequalities and outcomes. In the first five years we will:

1. develop a shared understanding, commitment and vision across the Collaboration for a research-informed prioritisation, design, development and implementation culture.

2. integrate investments in new capacity through placements, relationship building, training and collaborative projects.

3. create a sustainable collaboration, with a pipeline of research-informed innovation in service delivery that positions partners to attract further research and development funding.

4. design, implement, evaluate and refine a research-policy integration model, initially through application in prioritised pilot projects, and subsequently scaled out more widely.

5. improve the quality, discoverability and accessibility of data to collaborators and partners for use in prioritising, appraising and evaluating policy and practice.

6. cultivate a research-led evaluative culture that drives health improvement by strengthening relationships between researchers, decision makers and communities.

7. embed collaborative research capacity and processes within the wider community of stakeholders including elected members, community partners and public representatives.

Deliverables: We will use a research-policy integration model supported by substantial engagement across partner organisations and communities to embed a research-led culture within Glasgow City Council decision-making processes. The model has three stages at which research evidence supports decision-making: 1) during policy appraisal to identify policies and actions that might impact on health; 2) during policy implementation to support planning and design of evaluations; 3) through evidence synthesis and modelling of longer-term impacts.

Collaborations: The Collaboration brings together Glasgow City Council, University of Glasgow, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board, Glasgow Health & Social Care Partnership and Glasgow Centre for Population Health.

Timeline: Development Year will focus on project set up, planning and stakeholder engagement; Year 1 of full operation will focus on piloting the research-policy integration model in initial priority areas, and ongoing stakeholder engagement with emphasis on citizens and community; Year 2 -4 will focus on wider implementation and embedding of the model; year 5 will focus on continued implementation, review and future planning.

Anticipated impact and dissemination: Led from the Council Chief Executive’s Office, the Collaboration will be embedded within Council structures and priorities and well placed to influence policy and decision making processes. Through training, placements, support for data access, collaborative project participation and a developing portfolio of completed projects, the Collaboration will achieve demonstrable impacts on Council policies and actions and a culture change in the use of research to inform action on the wider determinants of health.