Title: NIHR Applied Research Collaboration South London
Funder: Department of Health and Social Care

Abstract: 10.1. Overall strategic aims The aim of NIHR ARC South London is to undertake high-quality applied health and social care research which leads to improved health and social care outcomes for people in south London and beyond. To achieve this, we will conduct research and implementation activities directly informed by the needs of the local population, and the priorities of the local health and social care system (section 17). We will involve commissioners, patients and service users, carers, families, community members and practitioners at each stage, to ensure the relevance of our work, supporting implementation into practice. South London has a very diverse population with multiple social and structural inequalities. Social care and preventative public health are therefore central. This was evident in the public views expressed at our annual Active Involvement in Research Day (AIRD) events (section 22.2), which informed our ARC research priorities, including supporting people with multimorbidities, and reducing health and care inequalities. We will take an integrated approach to embed social care and public health across the ARC s activities. We will measure the health and care impact of our work, and contribute to the cost-effectiveness, scalability and sustainability of health and social care. We will also build capacity for future applied health and social care research. 10.2. Research strategy and ARC schema We will achieve these aims through actively facilitating interaction between all ARC s seven research themes and four cross-cutting themes (figure 2), to deliver an integrated approach to research and implementation. All themes will reflect local public health and social care needs and priorities (section 17), collaborate with local partners (section 20), and communicate their research to local provider organisations. Our work will be framed by a whole system approach, where joint working in each research theme project will enhance uptake of the findings by local services/providers, with the support of our Implementation Lead at the AHSN and her staff. Each theme will agree specific milestones and deliverables, with agreed impacts to specific timescales (section 10.4). 10.3. Putting the research strategy into practice We will operationalise our strategy as follows: Our researchers will be supported to undertake high-quality applied health and social care research in close collaboration with service commissioners and providers at project, theme and ARC levels. Our research themes cover the whole life course: birth to childhood (children and young people (CYP), maternity and perinatal mental health) adolescence into adulthood (alcohol, CYP, public health and multimorbidities, social care) older adults and end of life (palliative and end of life care, social care,) across the life course (patient and public involvement research, public health and multimorbidities, social care). Centre for Implementation Science (CIS) specialises in how to facilitate and speed-up translating research into practice in health and social care. The CIS will provide methodological support to the research themes, as well as well as undertaking original scientific work to extend the methods usable within implementation science. CIS will also deliver training for providers of health and social care, patients and service users, and industry and not-for-profit partners in how to use research findings in their work. We are fully aligned with the developing KHP and St George s research institutes and their related clinical pathways. Synergies with NIHR infrastructure: including our two BRCs, the KCL Policy Research Units in Health and Care Workforce, and Mental Health, NIHR School for Social Care Research (SSCR), CRN Coordinating Centre and NIHR Research Design Service (sections 7.5 and 21). Strengthening our successful close working relationship with the South London AHSN, supported by Deputy AHSN CEO (Lelliot) &ndash; the ARC Implementation Lead (section 12). Communicating effectively with our south-west and south-east London sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs), supported by ARC Joint Board Chair (McLachlan, Chair of the Lambeth CCG), our primary care lead (Tylee, Professor of Primary Care), AHSN s lead Programme Director for STP liaison, and AHSN Medical Director (Curran). Putting patient/user experience as central to our work, via Centre for Public Engagement (at SGUL and KU) and the KCL Service User Research Enterprise (SURE) (leads Chambers, Rose). Addressing the needs of a diverse south London population by including a diversity lead within the Implementation Team to ensure that diversity is included as a priority. Addressing social care challenges through the significantly enhanced social care research theme and ensuring social care aspects are address across the ARC (lead Manthorpe). Building partnerships with local and national charities, e.g. GSST Charity-funded Children and Young People's Health Partnership, Age UK London, and Tommy s Charity. Embedding economics across all our health and social care research, in collaboration with King s Health Economics and the NIHR SSCR at LSE (lead McCrone). Creating a new cadre of interdisciplinary implementation researchers (sections 23, 24, 26 on capacity building, lead Allen). Addressing health and care inequalities across all research themes, using a public health approach (lead Littlejohns, section 16.13). 10.4. ARC objectives - measuring success and demonstrating progress No. ARC objective Metric: completed by 1 Identify project milestones, and pathways to impact for all projects and themes Month 6 2 Establish governance and management structures Year 1 report 3 Achieve first-year theme milestones and deliverables (repeat at following annual reports) Year 1 report 4 Demonstrate specific mechanisms to ensure the ARC addresses the needs of the local population and health and social care system Year 1 report 5 Establish a thematic symposium series across ARC to ensure active collaboration between all themes Year 2 report 6 Establish regular meetings with health and social care delivery partners in south London Year 1 report 7 Establish implementation champions to support the application of our research within services Year 2 report Medium-term objectives (3-4 years) 8 Launch Annual Implementation Science Week for researchers and practitioners Year 4 report 9 Launch online educational courses in implementation science Year 4 report Long-term objectives (5+ years) 10 Establish South London Applied Research Academy, training 100+ researchers per year by year 5 Year 5 reports 11 Complete all research projects and deliverables Year 5 report

Lay abstract: 6.1 Background The Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South London will produce research that can be used rapidly in real-life settings to improve patient experience of care and outcomes Our ARC will bring together commissioners, health and care professionals, NHS managers, patients and service users, charities, industry and researchers to collaborate We are building upon our successful NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) South London (2014-19), which supports 83 applied health and care researchers; has produced 437 scientific papers; and has won an additional &pound;54.5m of grant income for 92 applied research projects. 6.2 ARC aims To conduct high-quality research to help the NHS and care services offer excellent care based upon sound evidence to everyone, both in south London and nationally To prioritise the needs of people with multimorbidities (this means having two or more long-term health conditions) A key aspect of our research is to better understand health inequalities in our society &ndash; the avoidable differences in people s health and illness across areas and population groups We shall achieve our aims through including patients, service users, carers and members of the public in all aspects of our research. 6.3 How we will work Our researchers (based at King s College London, St George s, University of London and Kingston University) will use their research and scientific skills to do high-quality applied health research in close collaboration with service providers Our research is organised into themes , which cover every stage of life: birth to childhood (maternity and perinatal mental health, children and young people) adolescence into adulthood (alcohol, diabetes, and social care) older adults and end of life (palliative and end of life care) across the life course (mental and physical comorbidities, patient and public involvement research, and stroke) To support this work, we have a Centre for Implementation Science (CIS) - a team of researchers who specialise in how to facilitate and speed-up putting research findings into practice in health and care services Our implementation researchers will also train health and care professionals, patients and service users, and industry and charity partners in the skills needed to use research findings in their work. 6.4 ARC objectives Short-term objectives Establish our governance and management structures Achieve the short-term aims of our research projects Establish implementation champions to support the application of our research within services Develop collaborations with service delivery, research, charitable and other partners locally and nationally. Medium-term objectives Establish the South London Applied Research Academy to train over 100 researchers Launch an Annual Implementation Science Week to educate researchers and practitioners on how best to apply research findings into practice; and host a scientific conference Launch online educational courses about the science of implementation, to reach a wide and diverse audience. Long-term objectives Complete all our proposed research projects and deliverables Help health and care services to use our research in their practices, locally and nationally.

Research activity codes: 8.4 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGIES (HEALTH SERVICES)
Health categories: GENERIC HEALTH RELEVANCE