Topic
Date published
28/07/2025
Q. What happens when you mix together world-class research, a region with the ambition to ensure that the planning, implementation and evaluation of health services are informed by evidence, and people with a shared mission to ensure everyone has fair access to the best care?
A. You have the key ingredients to begin a collaborative and evidence-driven approach to delivering high-quality, effective health and social care.
By supporting stakeholders to collaborate and place research at the heart of decision-making, we can help drive up standards of care and enable care providers to meet the needs of local populations and health and care systems. This approach was demonstrated at the recent Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) Health Inequalities Conference.
What are health inequalities?
Health inequalities are unfair and avoidable differences in health across the population, and between different groups within society.
The LLR Health Inequalities Conference 2025
More than 200 delegates attended the conference, bringing together professionals from diverse healthcare and academic backgrounds. The event provided a platform to discuss how research plays a pivotal role in creating a healthier future for our communities.
Key messages from the conference:
- We can use data to better understand local health inequalities and how they affect people. Based on this evidence, we can take action to reduce inequalities.
- There are concerning trends of increasing premature deaths and longer periods spent living with poor health in some regions, often linked to inequalities.
- Many deaths from conditions driving inequality in life expectancy are from causes considered preventable.
Illuminating and inspiring presentations by Professor Ivan Browne (De Montfort University), Professor Kamlesh Khunti (University of Leicester), and Professor Michael Steiner (University of Leicester) provided a clear message that effective collaboration and partnerships are essential in tackling health inequalities.
To watch the conference highlights, click here.
Research is crucial for improved healthcare outcomes
The approach taken at the conference is part of a broader initiative to find evidence-based solutions to address complex health challenges. Dr Bharathy Kumaravel, Associate Professor in Public Health and a key driving force behind this project in LLR, noted:
- “If we want to truly integrate care, we must integrate research into the heart of our systems.”
- “By bringing together universities and Integrated Care System partners, we are not just studying what works; we are building the local evidence base that will shape better health for our communities.’
What are Integrated Care Systems?
Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) are partnerships that bring together NHS organisations, local authorities, and other partners to plan and deliver health and care services, aiming to improve population health and reduce inequalities.
Working together to make research more impactful
Researchers from the ARC East Midlands Translating and Implementing Sustainable Service Improvement theme are working along with our colleagues Professor Justin Waring (Dean of Social Sciences and Humanities, Loughborough University) and Dr Emma Rowley (Knowledge Mobilisation and Capacity Development Lead, ARC East Midlands) to support LLR partners in using effective knowledge mobilisation techniques.
What is knowledge mobilisation?
Knowledge mobilisation (KM) is the process of actively sharing and applying knowledge, particularly research findings, to bring about positive change in areas such as health and social care. It involves a two-way dialogue between researchers and knowledge users (those who will benefit from the research) to ensure that the right information is available and can be used effectively.
About our research
We are drawing on theories underpinned by cutting-edge research and practical evidence from real-world implementation success to see what works when it comes to designing and delivering quality health and care services. The knowledge we have gained from this process is helping us to work collaboratively with stakeholders to get innovative research ready for frontline practice and share findings with those who can use them.
ARC East Midlands Store offers a range of evidence-based products that can be downloaded to help you use our proven improvements for your practice and support KM.
Practical ways of supporting KM
One way we are supporting KM in our region is by delivering interactive workshops for those interested in finding structured approaches to assess factors that influence the implementation of evidence-based healthcare interventions. In our sessions, we discuss and provide practical examples of what KM is, why we do it, and how it can reduce the research-to-practice gap.
What is the research-to-practice gap?
The research-to-practice gap refers to the disparity between research findings and their practical application, particularly in professional fields like healthcare. It highlights the challenge of mobilising academic knowledge into effective real-world practices.
The intended impact of our research on healthcare
Using KM techniques can help to ensure research questions are relevant to the needs of practitioners, policymakers, and the public, leading to research that is more likely to be implemented and have a practical impact.
By helping to facilitate the translation of research findings into everyday practice, we aim to create tangible health and wellbeing benefits for various stakeholders, including the public, patients, and healthcare service users.
Collaborating and sharing our knowledge can mean greater research impact
Key ingredients in this potential recipe for impactful research include:
- Collaboration and partnerships between medical professionals, academics, service users, and other stakeholders – so that we can learn from each other and understand each other's needs.
- Placing research at the centre of decision-making – meaning we can use the best available evidence to inform policies, programmes and healthcare.
- Thinking about implementation and KM from the beginning of the research process and throughout – because planning how research findings will be used and disseminated is crucial for maximising research impact.
Blending these ingredients together helps to ensure that research findings are not only relevant but also actionable, fostering meaningful change in public health outcomes and promoting equitable access to healthcare services for all individuals.
In conclusion, working together gives us the best chance of ensuring that everybody has a fair chance of the best health possible.
Want to know more?
ARC East Midlands has produced over 20 online training sessions covering topics from methodological skills to dissemination sciences, presented in plain language.
Explore the full playlist of online training sessions here:
If you have any questions or would like further information, please email Dr Rob Vickers at robert.vickers@nottingham.ac.uk.