Funding Public health research in the UK. Professor Stephen Peckham

www.kent.ac.uk/chss

Centre for Health Services Studies

Funding Public health research in the UKProfessor Stephen Peckham

Centre for Health Services Studies www.kent.ac.uk/chss 2

The organisation of UK Public Health services

• England:Public Health EnglandLocal authorities• Scotland:NHS ScotlandArea health boardsLocal authorities• Wales:Public Health WalesLocal Health Boards• Northern Ireland:Public Health Agency

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Public Health England plays a co-ordinating and strategic role and makes financial allocations to local authorities. It provides research and intelligence, health protection services and advises government.

Public health services are funded by 152 local authorities across the country.

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Why public health research is needed

• Need to know what interventions lead to improvements in the public’s health

• Need to understand how to change health behaviour

• Need to know most effective and cost effective interventions

• Need to know how to organise and deliver public health services

Centre for Health Services Studies www.kent.ac.uk/chss 5

Significant economic benefits

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INVENTION EVALUATION ADOPTION

Creation•new things•new ideas•new techniques•new approaches

Assessment•new things•new ideas•new techniques•new approaches

Uptake•new things•new ideas•new techniques•new approaches

DIFFUSION

Spread•new things•new ideas•new techniques•new approaches

Basic Research Applied Research Commissioning Patient Care

• Better Quality• Better Value

NIHR NHS Commissioners

MRC & Charities

Providers of NHS services

The Innovation Pathway

Academic research councils

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Funding public health research in England

Research Councils

Central government

Charities(eg Cancer UK, British

Heart Foundation)

Local government

Local service

evaluations

Large scale medical research

NIHR

Department of Health

Service evaluations

Public Health

England

ESRC

MRC

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MRCResearch spend 2009 / 2010

Analysis of spend by public funder

Basic research DH

Applied research

Applied researchBasic

research

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Government funding

• Policy Research Programme – policy related research funded by the Department of Health

• NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme,

• NIHR Health Services and Delivery Research Programme

• NIHR Public Health Research Programme• NIHR School for Public Health Research• Public Health England (Agency of Department

of Health)

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Established 2006 as a vehicle for implementing the Government’s strategy for applied health research

National Institute for Health Research

Strategic AimTo improve the health and wealth of the nation through research

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What is NIHR and what does it do?

• The NIHR is the largest funder of clinical research in the country: Wellcome £746m; MRC £767m; NIHR about £1bn

• It supports clinical and applied health & social care research to improve health, well-being and prosperity

• It is internationally recognised as the model for organising a health research system

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National Institute for Health Research

• Between Government, Charity and Industry• Between NHS and University• Between research leaders and research

facilitators• Between different health care professions• Between different research disciplines• Between researchers and patients

A Health Research System

Partnership

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An integrated health research system

• The different parts of the health system support each other• Basic science relies on NIHR funding for pull through to

patient benefit• Anchoring industry depends on NIHR-funded infrastructure• Research charities depend on the NIHR Clinical Research

Network• The NIHR addresses failure of ‘the market’ to meet nation’s

research needs• Works closely with other research funders e.g. through

OSCHR• Wider collaboration - £50m/yr for Genomics England

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Infrastructure

Clinical Research Facilities, Centres

& Units

Clinical Research Networks

ResearchResearch Projects &

Programmes

Research Management

Systems

Research Information

Systems

Systems

Patients&

Public

Universities

Investigators &Senior

InvestigatorsAssociates

Faculty

Trainees

Research Schools

NHS Trusts

NIHR Health Research System

School for Public Health Research

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NIHR Public Health Research Programme

• The PHR Programme funds research that evaluates public health interventions, providing new knowledge on the benefits, costs, acceptability and wider impacts of non-NHS interventions intended to improve the health of the public and reduce inequalities in health.• Funding for research with no maximum limit on the

duration and costs of proposals, but all costs should be clearly justified and demonstrate value for money

• Research topics advertised after expert identification and prioritisation

• Monitoring and support during the project• Full publication in the NIHR Journals Library.