York research unit University of York

Today’s supply of health and care is driven by previous decisions that influenced the workforce and resources available to meet current demand. All too often, these decisions are made in response to short-term policy priorities and without due concern for long-term consequences. Directing policymakers to strategic decisions that drive sustainable change can avoid future shortages and crises in supply. 

The York research unit brings together economists from the Universities of York, Kent and Aberdeen, as well as knowledge mobilisation experts from the Scottish Policy Research Exchange. Funded through the Health Foundation’s REAL Centre and led by Professors Nils Gutacker and Susan Griffin, the unit will carry out economic research with the aim of motivating stakeholders to act beyond short-term policy cycles to shape a more resilient and equitable health and care system. 

During phase one of the programme (years 1 and 2), the focus will be on working with system stakeholders, academic experts and the public to identify the long-term drivers of health and care supply and the evidence gaps around them.  

A set of ‘Pathfinder’ documents will then be developed that set out the context and provide a roadmap for the ambitious research agenda for phase two. 

During phase two (years three to seven), the unit will use a variety of methodologies, such as experiments, surveys and statistical analysis of routine health and social care data, to improve understanding of the long-term drivers and underlying causes of health and care supply. 

Contact details

For more information about this project, please contact either

• Nils Gutacker, Professor of Health Economics, Centre for Health Economics, University of York

• Susan Griffin, Professor of Health Economics, Centre for Health Economics, University of York