£55 million boost to tackle health inequalities

As reported by NIHR, a substantial £55 million research investment by NIHR will fund 11 new Health Determinants Research Collaborations (HDRCs), aiming to improve health outcomes in deprived areas across the UK

NIHR is investing a second wave of funding into 11 new Health Determinants Research Collaborations (HDRCs) over the next 5 years. These innovative local government partnerships will boost research capacity and capability in some of the UK’s most deprived areas. They will span the devolved administrations and include a mixture of urban, rural and coastal areas. Boosting research capacity in coastal and rural communities is a key part of NIHR’s work with underserved communities. This was highlighted in a recent Chief Medical Officer’s report.

The 11 new HDRCs announced today are expected to go ‘live’ on 1 January 2024. A further 6 HDRCs will start on 1 January 2025, providing the agreed criteria are met during their development year. The new HDRCs follow in the footsteps of 13 successful HDRCs already established following the first wave of funding. This will bring the total to 24 live HDRCs as of 1 January 2024, with an expectation that the total cohort will grow to 30 HDRCs, with an annual recurring investment of £30 million.

Professor Brian Ferguson, Director of the NIHR Public Health Research Programme, said: “People living in communities across the country face major challenges that are impacting on their health. Once again, NIHR is taking a huge stride forward in empowering local government to develop research to improve their communities’ health and wellbeing.

“Continued HDRC innovation will boost partnerships between local government and the academic sector, enabling local authorities to make better evidence-informed decisions – critical given the current pressures on funding. We expect the HDRC areas to engage actively with their local communities to listen to people’s views and involve them appropriately in shaping and undertaking research.

“By focusing on the wider determinants of health such as employment, housing, education and the physical environment, the areas we are supporting have a tremendous opportunity to make a lasting impact on health inequalities and wider deprivation.”

Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “Everyone should have access to high quality health and social care services, no matter who you are or where you live.

“From Cornwall to Cumberland, these local projects, backed by £55 million in Government funding through the NIHR, will help ensure that vital research funding reaches our rural and coastal communities.”