Stirling experts part of £22.5 million research endeavour into improving health and social care
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Health and social care experts at the University of Stirling are taking part in a multi-million pound research endeavour that is expected to lead to major changes in the UK’s health and social care policies.
Stirling is a member of one of nine new groups who will investigate gaps in research knowledge in healthcare, public health and social care over the next five years. Each group will receive £2.5 million in funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), totalling £22.5 million.
Heading up the Stirling team are social policy expert Dr Peter Matthews, renowned for his studies into housing and urban inequalities, and Associate Professor Emma France, known for her qualitative research, particularly around families with long term health conditions.
The Scotland group has been appropriately named NESSIE, short for NIHR Evidence Synthesis Scotland InitiativE. It consists of the University of Stirling, the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute, Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Senior Lecturer in Social Policy
It is exciting to be part of such a wide-reaching programme and we look forward to working with our NESSIE counterparts to both build on existing research and identify areas which will need more research in the future.
Dr Matthews said: “It is exciting to be part of such a wide-reaching programme and we look forward to working with our NESSIE counterparts to both build on existing research and identify areas which will need more research in the future.”
Professor France said: “This type of research impacts decisions made on clinical guidance, health and social care policy that, ultimately, we hope will make improvements to people’s lives across the UK.”
Each group will carry out projects requested directly by stakeholders, such as public health and social care providers, including patient communities and members of the public.
Professor Lesley Stewart, Programme Director for NIHR’s Evidence Synthesis Programme, said: “The groups will combine research rigour with responsiveness to deliver high-quality evaluation and syntheses of existing research studies to match stakeholder needs. These will support evidence-informed decision-making and ultimately help improve the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and experience of health and social care provision.”