North East and North Cumbria ICS has published a draft research and innovation strategy which sets out seven principles including a focus on collaboration across the region to capitalise on assets, infrastructure and relationships “to unlock new technologies, accelerate clinical trials and develop new methodologies to meet the health and care needs of our population”.
Another of the seven principles places the focus on data, with the ICS pledging to support the use of evidence and analytics “to understand if we are doing things the right way”. Here, the strategy emphasises the need to draw on the lived experience of people using services across North East and North Cumbria.
Expanding on this, the ICS states plans to adopt an analytics-driven approach, utilising population health data to identify opportunities for earlier intervention and identify health needs. “Use of data to inform decision-making, resource allocation, and targeting preventive interventions can be efficient and impactful,” the ICS states, though the need to be “mindful” of risks around digital exclusion and digital poverty is also noted. A commitment is shared to collaborate closely with service users and members of the public, along with working to help citizens have “confidence in the purposeful use of their data”.
Research, innovation and improvement work is to be focused on reducing the gap between the region and wider England average life expectancy; reducing inequalities; increasing the percentage of children with “good school readiness” at reception; and utilising “more efficient and effective ways of working”. Additional focuses include reducing smoking prevalence, lowing drug-related deaths, increasing the percentage of early-stage cancer diagnosis, and reducing social isolation.
The draft strategy has been developed following the formation of a partnership between the ICS and research partners in the region and can be found in full here.
In other news from the region, December saw North East and North Cumbria ICB report on progress made in digitising social care with HTN covering here.
Regarding other strategies, we recently explored the Scottish Government’s dementia strategy as well as NHS England’s SAMEDAY strategy, a framework for the development and delivery of same day emergency care.
