Over 150 people joined live for the ARC East of England Showcase 2023 on Wednesday 20 September, where we celebrated our research’s impact and community connections from across the region.
NIHR ARC East of England Showcase 2023 brought together researchers, health and social care colleagues, community and third-sector organisations, and individuals from local authorities to hear about the impact that our research has had on our local healthcare sectors, as well as communities throughout the region.
With over 180 research projects, this webinar demonstrated the diversity of the research taking place at ARC East of England. The showcase was divided into a morning and afternoon session, highlighting a wide range of topical-themed areas from across our seven research areas and key work streams. Each session was followed by a panel discussion, which enabled the presenters to delve further into their findings and share their expertise. To facilitate networking and collaboration, rolling slides were displayed during breaks, encouraging attendees to connect with Theme Leads, and learn more about the research area.
Professor Wendy Wills, Director of NIHR ARC East of England, welcomed everyone to the showcase. In the morning webinar, there were three sessions with eight presentations.
Chaired by Dr. Adam Wagner (Theme Lead for the Health Economics and Prioritisation theme), the first session focused on research that supports people to live well in the east of England by addressing health inequalities and helping unpaid carers to acknowledge their own health-related needs through the award-winning Carer Support Nurse pilot.
The second session, chaired by Dr. Louca-Mai Brady (Researcher, Mental Health Over the Life Course theme), tackled research that supports young people's mental health. Tim Clarke shared how the Working on Worries project is supporting mental health practitioners by training school pastoral staff and parents to deliver cognitive behavioural therapy brief interventions to help children manage anxiety. We also learned how the Timely project is collaborating with young people to improve early identification of mental health problems by linking health, social care, and education data.
Dr. Sarah Robinson (Implementation Lead at ARC East of England and Director of Delivery, Health Innovation East) led the final session from the morning, where examples were shared of how our research has made a real-world impact by changing practices. We heard about the tackling of opioid deprescribing for patients with multiple long-term conditions and the significance of making vital healthcare information more accessible with appropriate formats for different audiences, including people with learning disabilities, in Beyond Words.
Professor Wendy Wills, reflected on this well-attended event:
“Today has shown that we are not an organisation, we are a collaboration and that is the most important part of what we do.”
Professor Wendy Wills, Director of NIHR ARC East of England
The afternoon webinar was opened by Dr. Rasha De Marco, Associate Director of Research & Development at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust. There were three sessions with seven presentations.
The fourth session of the day, chaired by Dr. Elspeth Mathie and Professor Fiona Poland (Co-leads of Inclusive Involvement in Research for Practice Led Health and Social Care theme), explored how the ARC East of England engages and collaborates with our local communities. Presentations focused on building relationships and trust with communities that are typically underserved in research by creating a community of practice and incorporating cultural interventions to improve access to healthcare. We also heard from a patient and public member who shared their personal motivations for engaging in research and provided valuable insight for researchers.
Led by Dr. Christine Hill, the fifth session showcased the positive impact that the ARC East of England fellowship has had on our fellows careers by increasing their research skills and knowledge.
Professor Kathryn Almack (Theme Lead for Ageing and Multimorbidity theme) chaired our last session, which shared the evolution of our research projects since our previous iterations. The session showcased how our research continues to inspire new projects, building on evidence-based practices. Notably, the legacy of the DACHA study and CATNAPS, which has made a significant impact for care homes and the ambulance workforce.
If you missed our showcase or fancy re-watching, the recordings of the entire showcase are now available to watch.
Watch the ARC East of England Showcase 2023
Morning webinar:
Afternoon webinar:
Find out more
- Slides: ARC East of England Showcase 2023 - Morning session
- Slides: ARC East of England Showcase 2023 - Afternoon session
- Watch the entire showcase on YouTube
- To learn more about the ARC East of England, read our Annual Report Summary 2022/ 2023