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Yorkshire & Humber AHSN has welcomed today’s announcement by Health Minister Nicola Blackwood that there is to be multi-million pound funding made available for research that could transform the lives of millions of people living with a range of conditions, including dementia, mental ill health and obesity.

Fifteen partnerships or Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) – including one for the Yorkshire and Humber region – have been set up across England, made up of NHS organisations, social care services, leading academics, innovators, and local authorities.

They have been awarded funding through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) for ground-breaking new projects that will address the increasing demands on the NHS and give patients greater independence and choice about how they manage their healthcare.

The Yorkshire and Humber region will receive £9 million over five years.

The Yorkshire and Humber ARC will be hosted within Bradford Institute for Health Research (BIHR), which is part of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The funding will enable BIHR and partner organisations across Yorkshire and the Humber, including 44 NHS organisations, 15 Local Authorities and 10 universities to prioritise research into a number of health issues including older people with frailty, healthy childhood, urgent care and mental ill health.

Director of Yorkshire and Humber ARC, Professor John Wright, of BIHR said: “We are delighted that the Yorkshire and Humber region has been awarded this important programme of applied research. Medical research can often seem remote from everyday life.

“Our ARC will support people-powered research that aims to improve health and well-being for our communities. Our themes of healthy childhood, mental health, older people and urgent care are the priorities that have been identified by our NHS partners and the public and will ensure our patients benefit from cutting-edge innovation.”

In announcing the new funding Health Minister Nicola Blackwood said: “As the population grows and demand on the NHS increases, it is paramount we develop the next generation of technologies and improve the way we work to ensure the NHS continues to offer world-leading care.

“The UK has a proud history of cutting edge health research and by supporting the great minds in health and social care, this funding has the potential to unlock solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing healthcare and revolutionise the way patients access treatments in the future.”