Funding Public health research in the UK. Professor Stephen Peckham

1. www.kent.ac.uk/chss
Centre for Health Services Studies
Funding Public
health research in
the UK
Professor Stephen Peckham

2. Centre for Health Services Studies www.kent.ac.uk/chss ‹#›
The organisation of UK
Public Health services
•England:
Public Health England
Local authorities
•Scotland:
NHS Scotland
Area health boards
Local authorities
•Wales:
Public Health Wales
Local Health Boards
•Northern Ireland:
Public Health Agency

3. Centre for Health Services Studies www.kent.ac.uk/chss ‹#›
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.

4. Centre for Health Services Studies www.kent.ac.uk/chss ‹#›
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

5. Centre for Health Services Studies www.kent.ac.uk/chss ‹#›
Significant economic benefits

6. Centre for Health Services Studies www.kent.ac.uk/chss ‹#›
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

7. Centre for Health Services Studies www.kent.ac.uk/chss ‹#›
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

8. Centre for Health Services Studies www.kent.ac.uk/chss ‹#›
MRC
Research spend 2009 / 2010
Analysis of spend by public funder
Basic
research DH
Applied
research
Applied
researchBasic
research

9. Centre for Health Services Studies www.kent.ac.uk/chss ‹#›
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)

10. Centre for Health Services Studies www.kent.ac.uk/chss ‹#›
Established 2006 as a vehicle
for implementing the
Government’s strategy for
applied health research
National Institute for Health Research
Strategic Aim
To improve the health and
wealth of the nation through
research

11. Centre for Health Services Studies www.kent.ac.uk/chss ‹#›
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

12. Centre for Health Services Studies www.kent.ac.uk/chss ‹#›
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

13. Centre for Health Services Studies www.kent.ac.uk/chss ‹#›
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

14. Centre for Health Services Studies www.kent.ac.uk/chss ‹#›
Infrastructure
Clinical Research
Facilities, Centres
& Units
Clinical Research
Networks
Research
Research
Projects &
Programmes
Research
Management
Systems
Research
Information
Systems
Systems
Patients
&
Public
Universities
Investigators &
Senior
Investigators
Associates
Faculty
Trainees
Research
Schools
NHS Trusts
NIHR Health Research System
School for
Public
Health
Research

15. Centre for Health Services Studies www.kent.ac.uk/chss ‹#›
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.