Translating research findings into actionable insights for service staff, system leaders and local policy makers Care City

Across Barking and Dagenham, Care City have used joined up data to better understand population characteristics and behaviours, and how people use services. Through an Advancing Applied Analytics project, the impact of social isolation on health and care utilisation was explored, using an existing linked dataset.

This Evidence into Practice project will build on this research, with the aim of creating and sharing tools and resources with local policy and commissioning audiences to improve their decision making in relation to the most intensive users of health and care services. It aims to improve their understanding of local service users, data and data-sharing.

The research into those living alone found that these people had a higher use of services across all care settings. These findings are important, but they also play into a stereotype. Therefore a deeper understanding of the issues is needed before decisions are made about services for these people.

The work on living alone is one of numerous studies using the Care City local dataset which could benefit from translational work for local policy audiences. This project will provide resources for policy makers and commissioners that describe the evidence base, deepen understanding of the data, and familiarise them with simple analytical approaches.

The project outputs will include ‘Findings in Context’ documents, which will connect research findings to descriptions of those who face challenges locally, the services they currently receive, and how they could be improved; a 20-minute activity for senior leadership groups to engage them in the evidence base and possible interventions; and a wider approach to engagement with policy makers around priority setting for data analysis.

These outputs will be created around two research studies using the Care City cohort, one of which will be the work on people living alone.

Contact details

For further information, please contact Jenny Shand, Director, Care City.