Abstract
Background: Socio-economic, cultural and environmental conditions strongly affect health across the life course. Local government plays a key role in influencing these wider determinants of health and levels of inequality within their communities. However, they lack the research infrastructure and culture that would enable them to develop an evidence-based approach to tackling the complex drivers of those conditions. Methods: We undertook a scoping project to explore the potential for, and what would be needed to develop a local authority research system for the City of Bradford, UK. This included identifying the current research landscape and any barriers and enablers to research activity within the local authority using qualitative individual and focus group interviews, a rapid review of existing local research system models, scoping of the use of evidence in decision making and training opportunities and existing support for local government research. Results: We identified four key themes important to developing and sustaining a research system: leadership, resource and capacity, culture, partnerships. Some use of research in decision making was evident but research training opportunities within the local authority were limited. Health research funders are slowly adapting to the local government environment, but this remains limited and more work is needed to shift the centre of gravity towards public health, local government and the community more generally. Conclusions: We propose a model for a local authority research system that can guide the development of an exemplar whole system research framework that includes research infrastructure, data sharing, research training and skills, and co-production with local partners, to choose, use, generate, and deliver research in local government.
Highlights
Socio-economic, cultural and environmental conditions strongly affect health across the life course and drive inequalities[1,2]
We propose a model for a local authority research system that can guide the development of an exemplar whole system research framework that includes research infrastructure, data sharing, research training and skills, and co-production with local partners, to choose, use, generate, and deliver research in local government
Discussion and development of a local research system Summary and discussion of key findings from data collection and reviews We found that Bradford Metropolitan District Council (BMDC) demonstrates features which broadly correspond to level 2 in our typology (Figure 1)
Summary
Socio-economic, cultural and environmental conditions strongly affect health across the life course and drive inequalities[1,2]. Many of the wider determinants of health and potential for prevention research fall within the remit of local government, which lacks the formal research resources, structures, evidence culture and connection with National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) infrastructure Developing these in local authorities, could facilitate choosing and using evidence to inform decisions, generating new knowledge, and evaluating attempts to improve outcomes. For BMDC to fulfil its potential as a research user and generator, a research system that can deliver a shift change in culture, infrastructure, funding and activity is needed Some of this potential was highlighted during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic where local authorities have taken a leading role and increasingly want high quality linked data, to ask research questions, and to use and share research findings to plan and inform recovery. We had three specific objectives: 1) to better understand the current research landscape and any barriers and enablers to research activity within BMDC; 2) to review existing research system models for local government and use these to select or propose a system model; and 3) to explore how sustainable a research system might be through political cycles and budgetary challenges, and how to bring together local government, academic centres, NHS organisations and voluntary, cultural and commercial sectors within a local research system
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