Social Dimensions of Health Institute

The SDHI has now moved into a new and exciting phase. A Management Team has been appointed and have moved into premises in Dundee's Airlie Place. The team comprises -

Founding Director - Prof Paul Boyle (Geography, St Andrews)

Prof Huw Davies (Management, St Andrews)

Dr Brian Williams (Epidemiology, Dundee)

Dr Martyn Jones (Nursing, Dundee)

Karen Munro (Promoting Partnership Initiative)

Introduction

The Social Dimensions of Health Institute (SDHI) uniquely brings together the expertise of those involved in the multi-faceted aspects of health from two major Universities. We expect that this will be one of the most exciting developments to emerge out of the 'Promoting Partnership Initiative', establishing both a research and postgraduate training Institute.

We would emphasise that our confidence in this project comes from the strong evidence for inter-University collaboration in this field that already exists - the Institute will provide the framework to capitalise on this even further. We anticipate that the Institute will generate significant funds over the first 10 years of its life, both from research and postgraduate training and some estimates of likely revenue gain are provided below. Many of those who have expressed a strong interest in becoming part of this new venture have a good track record in securing funds in this area already, and it is likely that the opportunity for inter-disciplinary research that the Institute will encourage will make them even more successful.

Examples of existing research infrastructure funding that are relevant to the Institute include:
· The Health Informatics Centre (£1.2 million - SRIF and £400k from other sources)
· The Longitudinal Studies Centre - Scotland (£825k - SHEFC RDG and £623k - CSO)
· The Research Unit on Research Utilisation (£150k - ESRC)

Below we describe the vision of the Institute, the resources which will be available, and an indication of the future revenue that the Institute might be expected to generate.

Vision

The vision of the Institute is an umbrella organisation which encompasses the variety of inter-disciplinary health-related research being conducted at the Universities of Dundee and St Andrews in the broad area of health. This venture is unique in the UK and perhaps internationally in its critical mass and span of capabilities, bringing together leading social scientists, medical researchers and practitioners (nurses, doctors, paramedics) to tackle issues of widespread public and political concern. Through genuinely interdisciplinary research and postgraduate training, the Institute will tailor amalgamations of interests, datasets, and expertise to analyse and address various critical social factors influencing and stemming from health challenges.

The Institute's remit is to address the social, economic and cultural factors underpinning public health and the abiding presence of specific, preventable diseases. It will for instance explore relationships between the environment, gender, social class, age, diet and health; the impact of poverty; the role of social capital and social exclusion in health inequalities; and cost/benefits of local, national and international initiatives to improve public health. As indicated by the high RAE ratings of departments involved, the Institute will help to ensure that research of the highest quality is applied to critical issues in Scotland.

This initiative comes at an especially appropriate time when health has risen to the top of the Scottish Executive's agenda, and also health is increasingly viewed as occurring within a "web" of many factors that provide a social context for any efforts to change health profiles. For example, in Scotland's Our National Health, A Plan for Action, A Plan for Change:
"Tackling inequalities in health is central to our commitment to social justice. The health gap between the rich and poor in Scotland is stark…"
The foreword to the Report of the Chief Medical Officer on the State of Scotland's Health (2000), states:
"With deprivation comes a higher burden of disease, poorer uptake of services and worse outcomes of care…tackling poverty is the first priority for governments in providing health for all in the 21st Century. I very much welcome, therefore, the Executive's determination to put the social justice agenda at the heart of health policy."

Key objectives of both the Scottish Executive and the UK Government include: improving the health of the population by extending years of healthy life; closing the health gap between the better off and the worse off in society; and improving the quality of the services provided by the health and social care system. Despite considerable improvements in certain health outcomes across Scotland, it continues to suffer poor health compared to the rest of the UK and Western Europe. Furthermore, considerable differences exist within Scotland, such that longevity and likelihood of various diseases vary with location.

The Social Dimensions of Health Institute will investigate and recommend action in relation to the spectrum of previously elusive, apparently incalculable, yet increasingly prominent social factors underlying such differences, from poverty to behaviours to relationship with health care providers to geography. With its focus on the social aspects of health care and delivery, the SDHI will contribute to the improvement of Scotland's health in measurable ways.

The key aims of the Institute include:

Research agenda
· To encourage inter-disciplinary and inter agency research, bringing together the various groups working on health from different academic perspectives
· To provide a research environment fostering genuine collaboration across these disciplines
· To develop close links with service providers, influence of research agenda
· To build on the unique potential for health research in Tayside through the thorough linkage of medical records in this area (unparalleled in the rest of Britain)
· To facilitate the work of other established centres in the two institutions that would fall under the broad umbrella of the Institute (including the Centre for Health Informatics and the Longitudinal Studies Centre - Scotland)

Research dissemination
· To provide a forum for discussion about the social determinants of health through organised seminars and meetings open to all appropriate disciplines, agencies, and professionals
· To disseminate our research findings to practitioners (particularly through the Tayren and Fresco initiatives, and the Health for All Partnerships)
· To publish high quality research in top-ranking international journals
· To organise international conferences attracting leaders in relevant fields

Research impact
· To contribute to the improvement of health in the people of Scotland - research into action
· To advise Scottish Executive and NHS regarding health policies
· To influence national and international debates on the social dimensions of health

Training impact
· To translate this research agenda into appropriate new postgraduate courses benefiting
from interdisciplinarity and courses in health research and research methds
· To utilise the solutions developed by PPI for the management of joint degree courses
· To employ "matrices" of modules that enable part-time studies
· To address the large market of nurses now encouraged to pursue postgraduate training
· To address additional rapidly growing markets, such as individuals seeking or occupying policymaking or health service management positions, thus for example contributing in the medium to long-term to quality improvement in the NHS