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Globally, many health research-funding organisations, public and charitable, felt the need to demonstrate to policymakers and the public how their investments in research were benefitting society. HERG's research on developing techniques for assessing the payback (or impact) from health research tackled this need. The payback stream of research itself has had significant, wide- reaching and cumulative impacts. First, internationally, health research funding bodies adopted the framework in their evaluation strategies, including to provide accountability. Second, many stakeholders made extensive use the findings of payback studies in public debate and private lobbying for public expenditure on health research. Third, governments, public research funding bodies and medical research charities, from the UK to Australia, used the findings from payback studies to inform decisions regarding the levels and distribution of health research funding, with the aim of increasing the health and economic benefits that come from investments in research.
Research undertaken by Professor King and his research group on the political economy of public health has generated three types of impact: global media coverage; extensive debate among stakeholders and the general public; and influencing the political agenda.
The Department of Health seeks to distribute the NHS budget to local commissioning organisations to achieve equal access for equal need and reduce health inequalities. The formula upon which it bases this distribution must be evidence-based, robust and up-to-date. We summarise four pieces of applied econometric research undertaken at the University of Manchester (UoM) and commissioned by the Department of Health that have developed the methodology for setting budgets fairly and determined the content of the formula in use in England from 2008-date. Adoption of the findings of this research by government has led to a substantial redistribution of NHS funding between areas.
Health inequalities are recognised as a critical UK policy issue with life expectancy gaps of up to 28 years between the least and most deprived areas. This case-study demonstrates how Durham University research has led to: (a) changing health service commissioning (with County Durham and Darlington Primary Care Trust [PCT]): (b) influencing NHS funding policy (by generating Parliamentary debate); as well as (c) contributing to the development of the new public health system in England and Wales (as part of the Strategic Review of Health Inequalities in England post-2010 [Marmot Review]).
Findings from research at Newcastle on health inequalities and the basis on which economic decisions are made have informed the recommendations made to and adopted by the Secretary of State of Health. These recommendations influenced two specific areas of the National Health Service (NHS) budget allocation. Formulae developed by Wildman and his colleagues are of key importance in determining the allocation of the NHS's £8 billion prescribing budget and the £10.4 billion mental health services budget.
In November 2008, Professor Sir Michael Marmot and his team at UCL were asked by the Secretary of State for Health to chair an independent review to propose the most effective evidence-based strategies for reducing health inequalities in England. The Marmot Review, published in 2010, has fundamentally shifted discourse on health inequalities in the UK and internationally. It has shaped public health services across England and around the world, guided government and international policy, and has given rise to a new commitment from service providers and health professionals to reducing health inequalities and addressing the social determinants of health.
The `People in Public Health' (PIPH) study and related research on health trainers, health champions and volunteers has brought together evidence on rationales for lay engagement, effectiveness and models of support. Dissemination activities, supported by a Department of Health grant, have achieved reach into various policy arenas and national networks. At the same time there is evidence of research utilisation in public health practice. One of the impacts has been the establishment of `Active Citizens for Health', a national network of partner organisations to bring together evidence and learning that has been hosted by Leeds Metropolitan University.
Research by the University of Southampton into maternal and child health in the developing world has contributed significantly to the design of better health policies by governments, international agencies, and non-governmental organisations. The research broke new ground in identifying the urban poor in developing countries as among the groups most at risk of poor maternal and child health. Its findings have informed policy and funding priorities at national and international organisations including the Department for International Development (DFID) and the United Nations; influenced health practitioners in Africa and Asia; and led to better health care outcomes in countries which were the focus of the research.
Adults with learning disabilities (LD) often cannot adequately report illness and there is evidence that treatable illnesses go undetected. As a direct result of Cardiff University research on health checking adults in primary care, the Welsh Government and the Department of Health now provide funding for all adults with LDs across England and Wales to receive an annual health check that employs Cardiff University methods. Current data on take-up (N=78,000 per year) and evaluation of results show that nearly 250,000 adults with LDs have had new health needs identified and treatments initiated during the REF assessment period (2008-2013). Nearly 40,000 adults per year will have new health needs identified and treatments initiated as a result of the health checks, with approximately 3,500 of these being potentially serious conditions.
The emergence of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in Europe over the last decade (including performance and image enhancing drugs), poses challenges to policy makers. These are substances which are frequently not controlled under law, and governments have struggled to address potential societal and health harms of use. We have analysed this drugs market, described the potential health harms of NPS, and generated evidence on effective intervention responses for some of these. Our findings have provided the necessary evidence to support the development of robust, responsive and predictive policy making at both national and international levels.