Research Projects on Health and Care

Evaluating collaborations between primary care general practices in the UK
10 Nov 2020

Primary care networks can help GPs run a wider range of services for their patients and make changes that are needed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be important to have additional clarification and support around the role of primary care networks in the wider NHS in England.
COVID-19 and the cost of vaccine nationalism
28 Oct 2020

Without a vaccine, the worldwide economic impact of COVID-19 could be $3.4 trillion a year. But even when a vaccine is available, an unequal allocation of COVID-19 vaccines could cost the global economy up to $1.2 trillion a year in GDP.
Estimating the cost of growing the NHS cancer workforce in England by 2029
13 Oct 2020

Cancer Research UK asked researchers to help determine how much Health Education England would need to increase its budget in order to meet its ambition of growing the NHS cancer workforce by 45 per cent by 2029. Researchers used workforce and cost data to build a demographic stock-flow model to provide important information about which workforces will require the most significant interventions, as well as the estimated costs.
What influences improvement processes in healthcare?
15 Sep 2020

Although many healthcare organisations are engaging in activities to improve the quality of healthcare, there are still considerable challenges in doing so. Additional research on quality improvement could help inform a better understanding of how improvements in patient care can be achieved and sustained.
Heat, energy efficiency, smart technology and health evidence review
03 Sep 2020

Researchers found clear evidence concerning the negative health impacts of poor indoor temperature and ventilation. The study also identified that improved heating technologies and measures to increase the energy efficiency of buildings are effective in improving several key aspects of the indoor environment, though evidence on positive health impacts were mixed.
Understanding the performance of the oncology healthcare system
27 Aug 2020

Researchers identified a number of key indicators that can be used to analyse elements of the oncology health system from different perspectives, and then used these indicators to create an overarching scorecard for oncology ecosystem performance.
Transforming social care provision
12 Aug 2020

The demand for adult social care in the UK is rising and will continue to rise. But the supply of such care is struggling to keep up. Innovation in social care can enable more and better care to be delivered more cost-effectively.
Examining COVID-19 and intimate partner violence
28 Jul 2020

An increase in intimate partner violence has been a worrying consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers are working to identify promising measures for protecting and supporting women victims and their children, both during and in the aftermath of lockdown measures.
Evaluating the development of the Q initiative from 2016-2020
13 Jul 2020

The Q initiative has established itself as an important resource for quality improvement in health and care, supporting members with skills, new relationships and self-confidence. However, to deliver change at scale there is a need to build on these achievements.
Evaluating the closed coffeeshop chain cannabis experiment in the Netherlands
07 Jul 2020

Researchers are examining the possible effects of a new experiment to cultivate and deliver quality-controlled cannabis through a closed supply chain for coffeeshops in the Netherlands.
How Middle Eastern SMEs are coping with COVID-19
06 Jul 2020

A survey of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Middle East and Turkey, targeted particularly at businesses owned by migrants, women and young people, sought to understand the impact of COVID-19 on their work and what can be done to support them during the pandemic.
Examining violence against healthcare
01 Jul 2020

RAND Europe explored the nature of violence against healthcare, the impact of this violence, and corresponding interventions on a global scale – the first time an evidence review of this scale has been undertaken in this area.
Consumer behaviours and attitudes to food in the UK
26 Jun 2020

The way people buy food is changing, and the sales of ethical and sustainable produce have increased. Eating food from outside the home is increasingly common, and what people consume still falls short of dietary guidelines. The reasons vary, and several policy levers may exist to influence people's food choices.
How, and how much, do migrants use UK health services?
30 Mar 2020

Recent arrivals to the UK use the NHS significantly less than the UK-born population, though the difference narrows when adjusted for age and self-assessed health. However, more work is needed to provide insights to policy makers on migrant use of the NHS, their health needs, and the quality of health care received.
Improving early cancer diagnosis interventions
02 Mar 2020

Explorations of how commissioners of healthcare services and Cancer Alliances in England and Northern Ireland make decisions at a local level are helping to inform Cancer Research UK’s work to support early cancer diagnosis locally, thereby improving cancer outcomes.
Quality improvement in the veterinary sector
29 Jan 2020

Although quality improvement is not yet embedded into day-to-day work across the sector, the basic framework to support QI implementation is already in place, and those working in animal health care generally agree that it is desirable.
Innovation for improved NHS healthcare
27 Jan 2020

The UK's NHS is under pressure to meet the growing and changing demand for services with limited resources. Innovations may provide opportunities to respond creatively and effectively to growing health demands.
Assessing the use of new technologies for infectious disease surveillance, prevention and control
14 Jan 2020

RAND Europe is providing research and support for the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) for the assessment of new technologies for infectious disease surveillance, prevention and control over the next two years.
Understanding the UK's pregnancy research needs and priorities
14 Jan 2020

A review of the research needs and expenditure on pregnancy in the UK found that £51 million is invested in pregnancy research each year. By contrast, the NHS spends £5.8 billion on pregnancy-related care each year and in 2018/19 litigation claims totalled £2.5 billion.
Economic benefits of malaria control
09 Jan 2020

Investing in malaria vaccination for children in sub-Saharan Africa not only helps in reducing malaria cases and deaths, it could also have long term macroeconomic benefits according to an economic model researchers developed.