The Academy’s ‘Improving the health of the public by 2040’ working group report, published in September 2016, makes recommendations as to how the UK’s research environment should be arranged to generate and translate the evidence needed to underpin a healthy population in 2040 . To help ensure these recommendations are taken forward, the Academy hosted a workshop that brought together a diverse mix of stakeholders spanning academia, public health practice, clinical practice, policy, and research funding.
The meeting report, published today and available for download, summarises discussions from this workshop held on 5 January 2017. Discussion covered four themes that aligned with key recommendations of the report:
- Research funding
- Linking research and delivery
- Undergraduate training
- Research training
The report details support for the establishment of the UK Strategic Coordinating Body for Health of the Public Research (SCHOPR), as recommended by the Academy. It was suggested that initially this new body should be situated within the Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research (OSCHR), and a framework to develop a clear and effective structure was discussed.
Building regional hubs of engagement through existing networks was championed by attendees, to integrate health of the public research with health and social care delivery. With undergraduate clinical training, a focus on highlighting best practice, supporting educators to incorporate public health approaches, and encouraging universities to foster a sense of social responsibility were proposed to ensure an understanding of the importance of health of the public in the medical community. In addition, an accredited training scheme open to the wider community would enhance and promote multidisciplinary public health research.
The meeting report is available to download on the right of the page, and an animation of ‘Improving the health of the public by 2040’ below.
Health of the Public 2040: the next steps