Cumberland Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC)

Cumberland Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) is a five-year project that started in January 2024 with the aim to boost research capacity and capability within local governments. Our aim is to embed a culture of always using evidence when making decisions to understand how decisions impact on health and health inequalities within Cumberland Council, partner organisations and the communities we serve.

The NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) Cumberland is part of the NIHR and hosted by Cumberland Council. NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaborations enable local authorities to become more research-active, embedding a culture of evidence-based decision making and ensuring there is public health research capacity to look into wider health determinants so that decision makers have the research evidence they need. The NIHR funds, enables and delivers world-leading health and social care research that improves people’s health and wellbeing and promotes economic growth. This major investment is central to NIHR’s offer to local government, providing infrastructure to enable local authorities to become more research active.

Cumberland HDRC works in partnership with Cumbria CVS, Healthwatch Cumberland, University of Lancashire and University of Cumbria.

Read Our Research Plan:

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Evidence and Findings

Research Plan and Guides

Cumberland Council’s Gathering Evidence Safely framework, provides a framework ensuring that all evidence gathering undertaken for research is necessary, ethical, well designed and beneficial to all stakeholders involved.

Guides and How to…

Forms

Training

Cumberland HDRC offers a comprehensive research skills training programme designed to help you to feel more confident finding and using research to enhance your work, capture what you already know and share what works (and what doesn’t) and to make and support your decisions. Our sessions are open to all Cumberland Council staff, elected members, and community organisations.

Our training programme is designed in line with the Cumberland Council’s Research, Evidence, Evaluation and Learning (REEL) Capabilities Framework, which sets out the capabilities needed by colleagues to embed evidence into the council’s culture, practice and policies.

Meet the Team

Mike Siddall – Research and Innovation Manager

Daniel Gibbons – Research Officer

Ted Roberts – Research Officer

Peter Kelly​ – Data Analyst

Samantha Carberry – Communications and Engagement Officer

Jae-Llane Ditchburn – Training Officer

Lianna Barrie – Research and Community Project Officer

Kristine Zepa – Administrator

Oliver Tait – Apprentice Data Technician

Meet the Community Co-Researcher Team

Our community co-researchers are taking the lead in research, focusing on tackling health inequalities in their communities. They play a key role in Cumberland’s HDRC, co-producing research priorities and co-designing and delivering research projects that are relevant and meaningful for communities.

Community Co-Researchers

Charlotte – Border, Fellside, and North Carlisle

Laura – Border, Fellside, and North Carlisle

Olly – Whitehaven & Coastal

Jess – Whitehaven & Coastal

Becky – Fells and Solway

Sheryl – Workington Together

Maisie – Workington Together

Tyler – Carlisle West

Andrew – Carlisle West

Val – Lakes to Sea

Hayley – Lakes to Sea

Alex – Petteril

Alshaimaa – Petteril

Bob – South Cumberland

 

Shirley Murray – Community Co-Researcher Support Officer