The NIHR ARC Greater Manchester knowledge mobilisation team are doing this by:

• Rapid Evidence Synthesis  - the team are providing health and social care system partner quick access to useful evidnce by helping prodcing reliable, easy to use summaries of research on important health topics, to support local decision making.
• Embedded KM Fellows in the GM health and social care system - Greater Manchester faces complex health and care needs, and strong evidence is essential for making good decisions. 2 KM Fellows are being funded accross the GM system, to help bridge the gap between research, policy and everyday practice. It brings people together, strengthens skills across organisations, and supports long lasting improvements in care to create a more impactful, connected, confident and evidence informed system—one that can respond quickly to local needs and deliver better outcomes for communities.
• Building knowledge mobilisation skills in organisations with traditionally less research capacity - 6 KM Champions based in NHS organisations with limited research infrasturure are being funded, and supported to a) encourage teams to pull research into their work, b) make evidence use part of everyday practice; and c) support closer working with researcher and research teams.
• Supporting early career researchers  - Supporting  early, and mid,  career researchers to understand what types of research information NHS partners need and how to respond to those needs, through working in collaboration with the funded KM Fellows and KM Champions from the local health and socal care system. 

KM Projects underway in ARC Greater Manchester

• Health Literacy informed approaches

  Health Literacy informed approaches: A Rapid Evidnce Synthesis

  The World Health Organization defines health literacy as “the personal characteristics and social resources needed for individuals and communities to access, understand, appraise and use information and services to make decisions about health.

  There is a drive to use health literacy-informed approaches in the delivery of health and care to enhance access to and uptake of relevant information, particularly among service users with low-level health literacy skills (who are often those from disadvantaged communities). The potential performance benefits for organisations in delivering health-literacy-informed services could include improvements in Did-Not-Attend (DNA) rates, reduced service readmissions and delayed discharges, reductions in health inequities, and improved health outcomes of service users.

  The ARC-GM funded KM Fellow suported a Rapid Evidence Synthesis (RES) looking at the mpact of health literacy-informed services and care delivery on hospital performance outcomes, by acting as "knowledge broker" between the GM Integreated Care Board and GM Population Health Team and the NIHR ARC-GM researcers, providing insghtful system level understanding, language and support to define the scope of the synthesis to focus.

  The RES found  that there is a little evidence on the impact of health literacy-informed services and care delivery on hospital performance outcomes and no evidence on mortality, with evidence with some uncertainties appearing to favour the use of:

  • pictograms (visual aids) - used among caregivers to reduce the risk of medication administration errors
  • health-literacy focused interventions used to improve treatment adherence and self-management - to decrease emergency department (ED) visits
  • educational videos to delier information for people with diabetes - to reduce acute hospital admissions
  • self-management programmes used with heart failure patients - focusing on medication to reduce hospitalisation and ED visits
  • culturally and literacy-adapted audio-visual education for immigrants - to reduce children's ED visits.

  The KM Fellow has been a key driver in ensuring the RES team feedback findings to the GM ICN and Population Health teams to supoprt future policymaking.

  The full synthesis is available here ARC GM | Rapid Evidence Synthesis

• Establishing a Greater Manchester Public Health Research Network

  Establishing a Greater Manchester Public Health Research Network

  ARC-GM are part-funding a Public Health Consultant, to act as an embedded strategic public health knowledge broker, strengthening the interface between research and practice by connecting people, shaping research, building capability and catalysing the development of knowledge mobilisation infrastructure across Greater Manchester.

  They are doing this by:

  • Identifying opportunities where research can address public health priorities and help define researchable questions.
  • Building capability to undertake and use research and evaluation. Improve accessibility and usability of research outputs.
  • Connecting researchers, practitioners, organisations; translate between contexts; develop research infrastructure.

  To develop:

  • More relevant public health research, stronger partnerships, improved evaluation, and increased research use and capability.
  • Stronger public health research ecosystem with sustainable KM infrastructure and greater use of evidence to inform practice.
• Advanced Care Planning to support frail, multi-morbid patients in the community

  Advanced Care Planning within a Proactive Care Team supporting frail, multi-morbid patients in the community

  As an Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) and Trust ACP Lead, one of the ARC-GM funded Knowledge Mobilisation (KM) Champion's is using the role to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice by translating evidence into actionable learning for practitioners

  This KM activity focuses on improving Advanced Care Planning (ACP) and Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNAR) conversations with frail, multi-morbid patients from ethnically diverse communities who are receiving care in the community. Working within a Proactive Care Team, the project aims to strengthen the use of evidence to support culturally responsive and person-centred care planning discussions.

  The work involves undertaking an evidence synthesis of published research to identify approaches that help healthcare professionals conduct ACP and DNAR conversations in ways that are sensitive to different cultural beliefs, values and communication needs. This includes exploring effective communication strategies, culturally appropriate patient information resources, and practical tools that support trust, engagement and shared decision-making between patients, families and healthcare professionals.

  The findings will be shared with Advanced Practitioners across the organisation to support the adoption of evidence-informed approaches, enhance patient experience, and improve the delivery of community-based care for diverse populations.

• Patient-centred care planning among mental health workers

  Patient-centred care planning among mental health workers

  As a registered mental health nurse Pennine Care NHS FT, one of the ARC-GM funded Knowledge Mobilisation (KM) Champion's is using the role to strengthen the use of research evidence in everyday mental health practice.

  This KM activity explores the reported experiences, barriers and facilitators to patient-centred care planning among mental health workers working across mental health services, by seeking to understand how healthcare professionals involve service users in care planning and decision-making, and what factors support or hinder the delivery of person-centred, recovery-focused care.

  Using existing evidence, the work examines how mental health staff experience the care planning process, including organisational, professional and practical challenges that may affect implementation. It also identifies approaches and conditions that enable meaningful collaboration between practitioners, service users and carers.

  A key aim of the project is to strengthen the use of research evidence in everyday mental health practice by translating findings into practical recommendations that support evidence-informed decision-making. Through a knowledge mobilisation approach, the project promotes the co-production of knowledge with healthcare professionals, service users and carers, ensuring that learning is grounded in lived experience as well as research evidence.

  The findings will help inform improvements to care planning processes, support more consistent delivery of patient-centred care, and contribute to enhancing outcomes and experiences for people accessing mental health services.

• Approaches to hypertension screening for underserved communities

  Approaches to hypertension screening for underserved communities

  As the Programme Lead for the Healthy Hearts Programme, working with Manchester Local Care Organisation (MLCO), one of the ARC-GM funded Knowledge Mobilisation (KM) Champion's is focusing on identifying and describing interventions used across the United Kingdom to detect hypertension among high-risk and underserved populations and support their ongoing diagnosis, treatment and care. The project addresses a significant public health challenge, as hypertension remains a leading risk factor for illness and premature death, with many people living with undiagnosed high blood pressure, particularly in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities.

  The work involves reviewing and mapping initiatives delivered in addition to routine services such as NHS Health Checks and community pharmacy blood pressure screening programmes. It explores how different approaches are being used to improve access to blood pressure testing, increase early detection, and support engagement with subsequent care among groups who may face barriers to accessing traditional healthcare services.

  Taking a knowledge mobilisation approach, the project brings together evidence from research and practice to understand which interventions are being implemented, who they target, and how they support equitable access to hypertension diagnosis and management. 

  The findings will help inform future service development, support evidence-informed decision-making, and contribute to reducing health inequalities by improving cardiovascular health outcomes for underserved communities across Greater Manchester and beyond.
   

• Strengthen the research culture in GM acute trust through a Research Champion Programme

  Strengthen the research culture in GM acute trust through a Research Champion Programme

  As a Speech and Language Therapist working within a Macmillan Palliative Care and Complex Cancer Allied Health Professionals Team, supporting patients with complex communication, swallowing and palliative care, one of the ARC-GM funded Knowledge Mobilisation (KM) Champion's is using the role to strengthen the research culture within Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh (WWL) NHS Foundation Trust by exploring what makes an effective Research Champions Programme and how its impact can be evaluated.

  This involves examining how Research Champions can be best supported to promote research engagement within clinical teams, recognising that research-active organisations deliver better patient care. Using knowledge mobilisation approaches, the work explores the factors that contribute to successful research champion programmes, identifies methods for evaluating their effectiveness, and seeks to understand how research culture can be embedded and sustained despite the pressures facing healthcare services.

  The activity also involves sharing learning and best practice within WWL and across Greater Manchester, helping organisations to translate evidence into practice more effectively. 

  The findings will support the development of a stronger research culture, increase staff engagement with research, and ultimately contribute to improvements in patient care through greater use of evidence-informed practice.
   

• Mobilising knowledge on sleep and circadian rhythm within Mental Health Services

  Mobilising knowledge on sleep and circadian rhythm within Mental Health Services

  As an Occupational Therapist and Clinical Research Delivery Manager with expertise in sleep and mental health, including a PhD examining interventions to improve sleep in people with schizophrenia, the NIHR ARC-GM funded Knowledge Moblisation (KM) Champion is using their role to combines research leadership, research capacity building and supporting the integration of evidence into clinical practice.

  This KM activity focuses on improving how evidence about sleep and circadian rhythm is used within Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) services, starting with Talking Therapies. The project explores how knowledge about sleep and circadian rhythm can be more effectively mobilised and embedded within routine mental health care. In particular, it examines how clinicians assess sleep difficulties and determine the most appropriate intervention, treatment pathway or referral for individuals experiencing sleep-related problems.

  Drawing on existing research evidence and stakeholder engagement, the work aims to identify practical approaches for supporting healthcare professionals to recognise and address sleep and circadian rhythm issues as part of holistic mental health care. The project also seeks to strengthen clinicians’ confidence and capability in using evidence-informed approaches to assessment and decision-making.

  By translating evidence into accessible resources, learning opportunities and practical guidance, this KM activity aims to improve the consistency and quality of care, enhance patient outcomes, and support the wider adoption of evidence-based practice across mental health services.

More information

Further information can be found on the NIHR ARC Greater Manchester Knowledge Mobilisation web pages.