ESRC and Health Foundation to put evidence into practice in new adult social care centre A brand new centre for adult social care will set out to put evidence into practice to promote and maintain people’s independence and wellbeing.

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and independent charity, the Health Foundation, have joined forces to support the creation of a centre called IMPACT (Improving Adult Care Together). It will be the first centre of its kind in the UK. 
 
The centre will: 

• Lead the way in helping people working in adult social care, carers, and the people they support make better use of high-quality, practice-based evidence to support innovation in social care. 
• Build capacity and skills in the adult social care workforce.
• Help develop sustainable and productive relationships between all of those working across adult social care.
• Improve our understanding of what helps or hinders when putting evidence into practice. 

The centre will receive funding of £15m over the next six years, with equal contributions from ESRC and the Health Foundation.  
 
The joint venture between ESRC and the Health Foundation means the two organisations can pool their expertise and experience in supporting innovation and the spread of successful ideas to support the improvement of care beyond traditional boundaries.  
 
Recognising the combined value of good practice and robust evidence from different sources, the centre will bring together a range of people from across the UK to help achieve its aims. These include: people with lived experience of social care, people providing unpaid care, people working in adult social care, experts in the mobilisation and implementation of research evidence, social care providers, commissioners and policy experts, and academic teams from across the UK. 
 
Together with stakeholders in adult social care and beyond, the IMPACT team will agree priorities and design, establish, deliver and evaluate the centre’s work programme, aiming to lead to sustainable change in the use of evidence in adult social care.
 
Professor Jon Glasby of the University of Birmingham has been appointed as IMPACT’s director. Working with a range of partners from across the UK, he will lead the co-development, establishment and delivery of the centre. 
 
ESRC Executive Chair, Professor Alison Park, said: ‘The complex nature of the social care system means that frontline practice does not always benefit sufficiently from the evidence we already have about what works. 
 
‘The increased implementation of evidence-based innovations and improvements in adult social care are crucial to ensuring better outcomes for the many people who use these services, and their carers and families. Finding a way to make this happen is challenging – but the prize, in terms of improvements to adult social care, makes it essential.’

Will Warburton, Director of Improvement, the Health Foundation, said: ‘The fragmented nature of the adult social care sector poses real challenges for ensuring the consistent provision of evidence-based, high quality care and support. 
 
‘The IMPACT Centre will work alongside people with experience of care, carers, commissioners and providers to develop practical support that will increase the use of high-quality research evidence in the adult social care sector across the UK.’
 
Professor Jon Glasby said: ‘Adult social care touches people’s lives in such important and intimate ways, and it’s crucial that it’s based on the best possible evidence of what works. 
 
‘Good care isn’t just about services, it’s about having a life – and the ESRC and the Health Foundation are providing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make a real difference.’
 
The centre will receive phased funding until 2027.

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