Abstract
History is popular with health policymakers, if the regularity with which they invoke historical anecdotes to support policy change is used as an indicator. Yet the ways in which they ‘use’ history vary enormously, as does its impact. This paper explores, from the perspective of a UK academic historian, the development of ‘applied’ history in health policy. It draws on personal experience of different types and levels of engagement with policymakers, and highlights mechanisms through which this dialogue and partnership can be made more efficient, effective, and intellectually rewarding for all involved.
Highlights
History is popular with health policymakers, if the regularity with which they invoke historical anecdotes to support policy change is used as an indicator
This paper explores, from the perspective of a UK academic historian, the development of ‘applied’ history in health policy
This paper explores, from the perspective of an academic historian, the development of ‘applied’ history in health policy
Summary
History is popular with health policymakers, if the regularity with which they invoke historical anecdotes to support policy change is used as an indicator. It discusses how historians of healthcare in the UK have chosen their research topics, and crucially, the style of output, and how this has facilitated or hindered their engagement with policymakers and service providers Fourth, it provides two case studies which demonstrate how history can be used at different scales: at the local level using an anniversary (of the first UK public health team in 1847) to provoke a city (Liverpool) to reflect on what has enabled population health to improve; at the national level (UK Department of Health) to demonstrate the impact of cuts in medical expertise in the civil service (1980s–1990s) on the ability of the government to respond to emerging infectious diseases (HIV/AIDS; BSE; MRSA). As the US historian Richard Hirsh puts it: ‘More practically, many historians realise that universities rarely provide rewards for work that has direct application outside the ivory tower’.2 Yet in the UK historians have been developing external work for many years across policy, creative and other arenas, and ‘impact’ is a key indicator of success for research councils and for the Research Excellence Framework (REF) that helps determine state funding allocations for universities
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