We are delighted to announce that a new Institute for Health Policy and Organisation (IHPO) has been approved by the University for Manchester Research Institute (UMRI).
The Institute brings together 12 leading professors and around 35 researchers and academic staff from the University’s Faculties of Humanities and of Biology, Medicine and Health, and will be built around three broad themes of research:
- Organisation and workforce will cover health and care policy and its impact upon service organisation and the health and care workforce.
- Regulation and leadership looking at how health and social care is led and governed, including internal and external systems of regulation for holding organisations and individual professionals to account for the quality and safety of services.
- Health and care in the wider context will focus on how health and care policy are impacted by social, political and economic contexts.
IHPO builds upon, and will incorporate, the AMBS Health Services Research Centre which over the last three years has provided a focus and platform for the extensive health research undertaken within AMBS.
Damian Hodgson, Professor of Organisational Analysis at Alliance Manchester Business School and Institute Co-Director said: “The funding and delivery of effective health care is one of the most significant global grand challenges. Old paradigms are proving ineffective in the face of demographic changes, while technological advances and drives towards new models of care through devolution or integration of services represent new but unproven opportunities.
“The University of Manchester has a growing reputation as a world leader in the fields of health services organisation and policy research and impact. Working alongside our colleagues from the award-winning Policy@Manchester network we are looking forward to the opportunity to make a real step change in the scope, reach and impact of our research.”
Kath Checkland, Professor of Health Policy and Primary Care at The University of Manchester and Institute Co-Director added: “The current climate creates the opportunity to develop bold and distinctive new ways to conceive of health care delivery. The creation of our new Institute for Health Policy and Organisation will ensure that The University of Manchester is front and centre of these important debates both nationally and internationally.”
“Our aim is to provide a platform for interdisciplinary research which draws together the insights from multiple fields across the University to improve health services, impact policy and establish the University as a leading authority for each of our three core themes.”
Colette Fagan, Vice-President for Research at The University of Manchester said: “I am delighted that we are launching the Institute for Health Policy and Organisation. The Institute will unite the University of Manchester’s world-class research into the funding and delivery of effective regional, national and global healthcare. It will provide a platform for cross-Faculty collaboration and enable us to expand our base of health researchers, funding and international partnerships.
“The IHPO team have an excellent track record of informing policy and engaging with health providers and commissioners over many years. I am confident our new Institute will build on the strengths of these foundations to make a significant impact on health policy and organisation in the forthcoming years, while developing a network of outstanding researchers who will lead this field into the future.”
Professor Ken McPhail, Alliance MBS’ Director of Research added: “We are proud that our new Institute will build on the body of quality health research already being undertaken here in Manchester, while enhancing cross-university interdisciplinary collaboration. It will provide a strong and visible external identity that will facilitate impactful engagement at the most senior levels of NHS and social care policy.”
The Institute will officially launch at an event set to take place in the autumn.
