HDRC Islington (known as Evidence Islington) is an exciting new collaboration between ARC North Thames partners University College London, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London Borough of Islington and Healthwatch Islington, set up to boost research capacity and capability within local government.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) awarded Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) status to Evidence Islington (EI) in October 2023 and the partnership works to improve how information is collected, joined up and used, with the aim to reduce health inequalities across Islington.
Using evidence and research is obviously vital to providing services that best meet the needs of residents, and ensure the council makes the best use of the resources available.
One of EI’s key aims - aligned to the council’s five-year plan - is to build a culture of research confidence among council staff and beyond, so that everyone is using and designing evidence and research in the most effective ways.
It has three workstreams which aim to:
- Create a sustainable research culture that places evidence at the heart of everything we do, including strengthening research collaborations.
- Strengthen and mature our data infrastructure to enable us to generate high quality insights and evaluate impact.
- Build capacity and participation in research.
Email ei@islington.gov.uk to find out more and discuss opportunities.
