Following a joint bid by Portsmouth City Council, HIVE Portsmouth and the University of Portsmouth, a £5m investment will enable more research which aims to tackle health inequalities and improve health outcomes for residents.
The funding is awarded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the research partner of the NHS, public health and social care. The funding is awarded from January 2025 for five years following the successful completion of a development year in 2024.
The funding will establish NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) Portsmouth; a partnership combining local government, community sector and academic expertise to develop and deliver local research that can support decision-making in the city.
The research generated will focus on the building blocks of health, for example, factors such as housing, education, air quality and access to green spaces, which impact on the health and wellbeing of communities and can create inequalities across the city. It will help to inform evidence-based decisions, with better knowledge of how changes will affect different members of the community.
Cllr Matthew Winnington, Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing, Health and Care at Portsmouth City Council, said: "We welcome this opportunity to develop a research partnership which will help us to address the root causes that lead to poorer health in Portsmouth.
"What's key will be listening to residents who are experiencing challenges; we want to learn, share with our communities what we've learnt and then we can use the knowledge to make a difference."
Dr Nikki Fairchild, Associate Professor in Creative Methodologies and Education and Academic Lead of HDRC Portsmouth , said: "The award of the HDRC to Portsmouth cements our relationship with Portsmouth City Council, which will enhance and foster the research environment within the council. Collaborations between the council, the University, and working together with the wider Portsmouth community, will support the development of a more evidence informed approach to decision making, taking into account the public health needs and requirements leading to more effective use of resources where they are most needed."
Lorna Reavley, Chief Officer of HIVE Portsmouth said: "Health inequality in our city is both unfair and avoidable. This is a real chance for us to better understand how we can tackle these inequalities and ultimately improve the health and lives of local people.
"It's also an opportunity to change how our city uses research, to challenge the idea that research is something academics do and is distant from our communities. We want research to be done with, rather than to, communities."
