co-operation at the local level for public health improvement. dr erica gadsby

www.kent.ac.uk/chss

Centre for Health Services Studies

Dr Erica Gadsby

July 2015

Co-operation at the Local Level for Public Health improvement

Centre for Health Services Studies www.kent.ac.uk/chss 2


At CHSS, we aim:

• to create public health collaborations that will facilitate the design, evaluation and implementation of complex public health interventions.

• to build research capacity to develop and evaluate complex public health interventions

• to provide education and training opportunities to equip local stakeholders with the skills to engage in the design, evaluation and implementation of complex public health interventions

Research co-production is one of the most effective ways to ensure research impact.


We do this by:

• Supporting and advising health care staff to develop and undertake research projects

• Offering the opportunity to study with us at Undergraduate, Postgraduate and PhD level (e.g. MSc in Applied Health Research)

• Investing in public engagement and patient and public involvement in research

• Investing in local agencies to develop long-term collaborations


Our public health collaborations: Kent County Council

• Agreement between Kent Public Health and CHSS regarding the provision of operational public health research, development and support

• Appointment by Kent Public Health of skilled public health researchers

• Work towards a joint research team, with joint leadership and support provided by CHSS

On-site support in planning interventions and evaluations

Opportunities for joint research funding applications Research capacity strengthening


Our public health collaborations: Medway Council

• Two-year joint funded programme of work to assess Medway’s healthy weight services and help them develop a ‘whole systems approach’ to healthy weight

Conducted series of Evaluability Assessments to prioritise and guide evaluation activities

Provided service improvement recommendations Delivering support on aspects of programme development,

such as needs assessments and use of theories to inform intervention design

Conducting full evaluations where useful/feasible Advising on design of new interventions Collaborating on design of overall strategic approach to

healthy weight


Our public health collaborations: London Borough

• 4-year evaluation of a complex community-based pilot to tackle childhood obesity

• Collaboratively designing evaluation framework based on theory of change

• Taking continuous learning approach, where lessons are shared to optimise the design and outcomes of the intervention

www.kent.ac.uk/chss

Centre for Health Services Studies

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co-operation at the local level for public health improvement. dr erica gadsby

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