Purpose of the plan
This research plan will help us and partners gather information about how to improve everyone's health by understanding what causes good and poor health. The plan supports our vision for everyone to have good health and wellbeing and to provide excellent public services. The research plan will be delivered in line with the Cumberland Approach.
How we developed the plan
We spoke with 107 people including community groups, council staff, elected members, and experts. They shared 211 different questions and gaps in knowledge. These were organised by factors that affect health, and then grouped into larger research areas, removing any repeated questions. We ranked the research areas using a priority scoring system alongside council data to decide what the most pressing priorities for Cumberland are.
Scoring
The scores helped make sure that the research areas we focused on:
- align with our overall plan
- can be changed by us
- can change in the next four years
- address real gaps in knowledge
- are important to the community
Research priorities
To understand how people experience the following across coastal, rural and urban communities:
- poverty
- routes to employment and education
- cared for children
- mental health
- housing need
- substance misuse
- obesity and food insecurity
Outcomes
This research aims to show the different factors that affect health inequalities in coastal, rural, and urban areas in order to inform the re-design of key services. The HDRC team will undertake an annual review of the delivery of this research plan reporting on the effectiveness and what has been achieved.