Faculty secures NIHR funding for two Policy Research Unit

06 Jul 2018

The Faculty has been awarded funding for two Policy Research Units (PRU) that will explore how the health needs of our ageing population are to be met and how health and care systems and commissioning will look in the future.

The £10m funding from the National Institute for Health Research is designed to ensure that the government has the best possible information and evidence available when making policy decisions about health and social care.

The first of the PRUs – for Older People and Frailty – is a collaboration between Manchester, Newcastle University and the London School of Economics, and will be led by Chris Todd Professor of Primary Care and Community Health. Here researchers will work with policy makers on and the needs of this population and the people who provide care for them, including patients, carers and the public who will be part of the team throughout.

The work will be arranged in themes, such as the impact of population change on health and social care; links between frailty, disability and multiple conditions; long-term and end-of-life care; use of technologies; personalised care; self-care and healthy ageing.

Professor Todd said: “The funding of this research unit offers a huge opportunity to improve the health and wellbeing of older people and those with frailty. We have brought together world-leading researchers who will dedicate themselves to advancing policy-related research so as to make a real difference by working with the Department of Health and Social Care to promote healthy ageing.”

The second PRU has been renewed to continue research into Health and Care Systems and Commissioning. The £5 million five-year extension will fund further research into the structures and organisation that underpin how the health and care systems work. This includes evidence summaries explaining what we know about how services should be planned and paid for, research exploring how GP services are working and the pressures that GPs experience and research into how different payment mechanisms affect how organisations behave.

Deputy Director of the Health and Care Systems and Commissioning PRU, Professor Kath Checkland said: “70 years after its establishment, the NHS is in a time of transition, with welcome additional funding providing opportunities to integrate services across the health and social care landscape. Our research will be at the cutting-edge of these developments, ensuring a strong evidence base to underpin the development of new approaches to service delivery.

“The University of Manchester has a growing reputation for policy-related research, and this new investment by the Department of Health and Social Care provides an excellent opportunity to extend and develop our research and engagement with the policy process.”