Researchers at Bournemouth University will lead two important areas of work to improve health and social care as part of a £16 million funding grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
Professor Lee-Ann Fenge will lead a new programme of research aiming to address the need for integrated social care in communities, focused on the people who need it. Professor Mel Hughes will be the lead for research inclusion, ensuring that the wide range of communities who need access to health and care services are involved in all research programmes.
BU is a partner in the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Wessex (ARC Wessex) which has been running since 2019. This funding will allow its research to continue until 2031.
The Bournemouth researchers will be working with other partners in the Wessex region, including University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton who have been awarded the NIHR grant.
The Integrated Health and Social Care theme which Professor Fenge will lead aims to address the urgent need for integrated, person-centred care that helps adults with complex needs to live closer to home for longer. It addresses NIHR’s social care priority, whilst also advancing care in community and primary care settings, particularly where these overlap for older adults with complex needs.
This will build on previous research Professor Fenge has carried out as Social Care Lead at ARC Wessex, where she has been developing a number of projects to build more capacity for social care research.
“This work aims to contribute to a reduction in emergency admissions for people with dementia, increased uptake of digital social care solutions, and lead to a national roll out of tools for care-at-home planning and workforce development,” Professor Fenge said.
Professor Hughes leads Bournemouth University’s Public Involvement in Education and Research Partnership and is Deputy Director of the Centre for Seldom Heard Voices. These have a strong track record for ensuring that those who are most affected by societal and health inequalities are involved in shaping and informing research, education and practice.
Research inclusion will be embedded into all programmes across the new ARC and Professor Hughes and her team will work with researchers and communities to better address health and social inequalities.
Professor Hughes said, “Those who are most affected by health and social inequalities are often the least likely to participate in research or be represented by the research workforce.
“This funding will enable us to bring in community focussed approaches across all research projects and programmes, train and support researchers, develop best practice and create the conditions required to ensure that research is relevant to the end user, findings apply to a wide range of communities, and the resulting interventions can be successfully delivered to those who need them most.”
Christine McGrath, Managing Director of Wessex Health Partners, who was involved in the bid, said
“This is a great vote of confidence in the Life Sciences in Wessex, showing that we are leading as a region due to our cross-organisational expertise, skills, facilities, networks and, above all, our ability to work together to meet pressing health and care needs. The money represents a substantial inward investment into the region and will make a real difference to patients and the public.”
Between 2019 and 2025 ARC Wessex generated £100 million in research funding from an initial grant of £9 million – and the next ARC is expected to do the same.
The new ARC will begin its work in April 2026 and finish in April 2031.
