Before the 15 Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) were established in October 2019, many existed in another form as Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRCs).
Much like ARCs today, CLAHRCs were funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to undertake high-quality applied health and care research focused on the needs of patients. CLAHRCs were collaborative regional partnerships between universities and NHS organisations.
CLAHRC South West Peninsula, also known as PenCLAHRC, was one of the nine original CLAHRC pilots established in October 2008. After the initial five-year funding round, the programme grew to 13 CLAHRCs. Now, with the ARC programme, all 15 regions in England have an ARC.
PenCLAHRC’s grant from the NIHR was matched by an equal amount of funding, provided in kind by University partners, the South West Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) and other NHS bodies and charities.
Most recently, PenCLAHRC focused on five research themes:
- Person-Centred Care
- Mental Health and Dementia
- Diagnostics and Stratified Medicine
- Healthy People, Healthy Environments
- Evidence for Policy and Practice
What did CLAHRC South West Peninsula do?
The CLAHRC team worked on diverse projects including:
- Helping healthcare professionals to use quality research evidence to support clinical practice
- Improving the experience of people living in care homes
- Improving the mental health of children and young people with long-term conditions
- Increasing the capacity of NHS staff to address organisational issues using Operational Research
- Supporting people before and after leaving prison to help them break the cycle of reoffending
- Redesigning stroke treatment pathways
Read our 10 Years of PenCLAHRC brochure (PDF) to find out more.