Professor Gene Feder from the University of Bristol has been announced as co-lead of the vulnerable children and families theme in a new NIHR Policy Research Unit specialising in Children and Families that will ensure the government and arms-length bodies have the best possible information and evidence available when making policy decisions about health and social care.
The new Unit is one of 13 announced this week by the NIHR as part of a £65 million investment over five years. The units will cover a range of specialisms and conditions, such as behavioural science, adult social care, older people and frailty, and cancer awareness, screening and early diagnosis, and will also offer advice to policy makers and analysts on the evidence base and options for policy development.
The NIHR Policy Research Unit in Children and Families led by Professor Ruth Gilbert at UCL, will focus on three research themes in areas where Government policy has the potential to have a significant impact on health and wellbeing.
Gene Feder, Professor of Primary Care in the University’s Centre for Academic Primary Care, said: “We are delighted to co-lead the responding to vulnerable children and families research in the new NIHR Policy Unit. Our new programme will build on and extend the work of the existing Children’s Policy Research Unit at UCL, which over the past 7 years has carried out research having a significant influence on policy and practice.
“Our research will have a strong focus on health inequalities and domestic violence, supporting the development of new interventions and generate evidence to inform Government policies to improve the health and wellbeing of children, young people and families.”
The 13 new NIHR units will provide both a long-term resource for policy research and a rapid-response service to provide evidence for emerging policy needs. The units will work closely with the Department of Health and Social Care to determine priorities and provide evidence directly to the Secretary of State for Health, government departments and arms-length bodies, such as NHS England and Public Health England.
Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department of Health and Social Care, said:
“Patients and the public deserve a healthcare system that is informed by the latest research and evidence. The NIHR Policy Research Units will make sure that Government decisions affecting our health and care are robust and evidence based.”
These new units, which will begin work in January 2019, join two existing units in mental health and obesity.
The 15 NIHR Policy Research Units will comprise:
- NIHR Policy Research Unit in Adult Social Care
- NIHR Policy Research Unit in Behavioural Science
- NIHR Policy Research Unit in Cancer Awareness, Screening and Early Diagnosis
- NIHR Policy Research Unit in Children and Families
- NIHR Policy Research Unit in Economic Methods of Evaluation in Health and Social Care Interventions
- NIHR Policy Research Unit in Economics of Health Systems and Interface with Social Care
- NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Systems and Commissioning
- NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce
- NIHR Policy Research Unit in Maternal and Neonatal Health and Care
- NIHR Policy Research Unit in Mental Health
- NIHR Policy Research Unit in Obesity
- NIHR Policy Research Unit in Older People and Frailty
- NIHR Policy Research Unit in Policy Innovation and Evaluation
- NIHR Policy Research Unit in Public Health
- NIHR Policy Research Unit in Quality Safety and Outcomes of Health and Social Care
Institute for Government. How government can work with academia. 05 June 2018.