Social care pexel
The Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) at LSE will be leading a new National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Policy Research Unit from January 2019.
The School has been selected to lead the NIHR Unit in Adult Social Care, one of 13 university-based NIHR Policy Research Units launched to undertake research to inform decision-making by government and arms-length bodies.
LSE will also be a partner in three other NIHR Units: Economics of Health Systems and Interface with Social Care, led by the University of York; Older People and Frailty, led by the University of Manchester; and, Policy Innovation and Evaluation, led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
The government will allocate £65 million in funding for the Policy Research Units over five years to access the best possible information and evidence when making policy decisions about health and social care. The NIHR Units will work closely with the Department of Health and Social Care to determine research priorities.
The NIHR Units will provide a resource for policy research and a rapid-response service to provide evidence for emerging policy needs, providing evidence directly to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, government departments and bodies such as NHS England and Public Health England. They will cover a range of specialisms and conditions, such as behavioural science, adult social care, older people and frailty, and cancer awareness, screening and early diagnosis.
The NIHR Units in Adult Social Care brings together a team of leading researchers from the LSE and the University of Kent. The team includes representatives with expertise of involving service users, carers and the public in research.
Dr Jose-Luis Fernandez, Associate Professor Research Fellow, Deputy Director of PSSRU at LSE and Director of the new NIHR Policy Research Unit in Adult Social Care, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the ASCRU Policy Research Unit.
“This substantial award will ensure that we continue to contribute high-quality research evidence that supports policy developments in the long-term care area. Producing this evidence is particularly critical in light of the ever-increasing pressure for innovative models of care which allocate public support in a fair, effective and cost-effective way.”
Professor Martin Knapp, Director of PSSRU and co-applicant in ASCRU, said: “The establishment of this important new policy unit within PSSRU at the LSE, in partnership with Kent University, is an exciting development, and due recognition of the expertise that we have here at the LSE in this increasingly important policy area.
“We are pleased to be a part of three other new policy units on economics of health systems and interface with social care, older people and frailty, and quality, safety and outcomes of health and social care.”