Programme 3: Health Services Research
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As one of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) 31 clinical specialities embedded in the 15 Clinical Research Networks across in the UK, Health Services Research focuses on the organisation and delivery of health and care, both in the NHS and non-NHS settings. Health Services Research has five subthemes of:
Health Services Research is a clinical discipline in its own right, but works collaboratively with with other 31 NIHR clinical specialities when a service or delivery aspect of care is needed, thereby extending the breadth and scope of research and knowledge exchange.
The impact of service-related research, knowledge exchange and innovation are not always as visible, and this represents challenges which the NIHR Health Services Research Speciality seeks to address. The sub-theme of implementation science, i.e. the ‘scientific study of methods to promote the systematic uptake of research findings and other evidence-based practices into routine health and care, improving the quality and effectiveness of health services’ . This offers potential for research and knowledge exchange activity across health and wider care settings, and is closely aligned to quality improvement, which has robust methodological frameworks.
The NHS Long Term Plan focuses on health services research through the aims of improving and reforming NHS services in England, focusing on expanding community-based services for place-based care, strengthening action on prevention and health inequalities and improving care for people with long term conditions.
The NHS, care and third sector have all been adversely affected by the pandemic, causing delays, disruption and increased demands for services which have serious consequences for population health and wellbeing. The pandemic has affected the delivery of the Long Term Plan and created new demands on health and care service delivery. This requires health services research to understand and support service delivery, address workforce needs and improve population health and care, ensuring widening health inequalities do not worsen.
Place-based care, incorporating the Voluntary, Charitable and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector is priority for healthcare commissioners and, local authorities, acknowledging the role of the VCSE sector to support post-pandemic recovery.
See the NIHR Health Services Research Toolkit: NIHR CRN Health Services Research Toolkit