ICSs and Research

There is a real opportunity to embed research at an ICS level to improve population health outcomes for individuals and communities, particularly underserved communities. 

At the same time, there is significant uncertainty regarding how research will feature across different ICSs and what ‘good’ looks like. There has been, and is likely to continue to be variable appetite, interest, and expertise in supporting research across ICSs given competing care delivery priorities.

Take a look at this ten-minute research overview video from Mark Cooke. He is the Director of Strategy and Transformation at the South West NHSE/I South West. He has responsibility for the support and development of ICSs in the South West.

Research can help identify effective and cost efficient treatments, processes and systems

Research can be a mechanism for addressing local health inequalities and ensuring greater inclusion of under-served and marginalised communities. The pandemic has made visible underserved communities and the need to reach them. Even prior to the pandemic, there has been a mismatch between areas of high disease burden and where health research takes place. As such, there is a real opportunity for ICSs to priority set, and embed research into healthcare services so that local service challenges and opportunities are better understood. In doing so, ICSs and care providers will be able to make better-informed decisions related to their local health systems, commissioning and delivery.

ICS Maximising the Benefits of Research Guidance Document

Maximising the Benefits of Research Document  sets out what good research practice in ICSs should look like. It supports integrated care systems (ICSs) to maximise the value of their duties around research for the benefit of their population’s health and care and, through coordination across ICSs, for national and international impact. 

It supports integrated care boards, integrated care partnerships and their partners to develop a research strategy that aligns to or can be incorporated into their integrated care strategy, and helps them and their workforce to build on existing research initiatives and activities across health and social care to improve sector-wide performance and best practice.

The NIHR Network has heavily fed into this document from both national and local perspectives to ensure it is fit for purpose for all health and care settings.