A £20 MILLION, seven-year partnership involving more than two dozen researchers from the University of Edinburgh and financial services group Legal & General is to examine quality of life for older people in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Advanced Care Research Centre (ACRC) was established in January and its programme will start in September with 25 new researchers working with senior academics, led by centre director Professor Bruce Guthrie.
L&G said the UK has been facing a social care crisis for some time, but the pandemic, which had targeted the frail and elderly, had exposed its weaknesses.
It said quick action is needed to rethink and redesign care to look after the most vulnerable people effectively.
“Positive, evidence-based change to the way care is delivered to those in later life was important before this crisis, and will be even more important and urgent afterwards,” said Guthrie.
“As a clinical practitioner as well as an academic, I see the immense pressure that NHS and care systems are under because of Covid-19, but we must not lose sight of the longer-term goal of ensuring that care in later life is as effective, safe, humane and efficient as possible.
“The ACRC plans to deliver cutting edge research which will think ahead to support and inform real improvement over three, five and 10 years.”
The ACRC research will be underpinned by three cross-cutting areas of activity in stakeholder engagement and public debate, improvements to the data infrastructure and an interdisciplinary academy to train the future academic, policy and practitioner leaders in later life care.
Nigel Wilson, L&G’s CEO, said: “The current threat to our later life care system is very real. This work with the University of Edinburgh was in the planning phase and is now moving into the ‘doing phase’.
“Rather than looking at quick fixes on short-term Covid-19 specific issues, the pressures on the care system will remain after the current pandemic subsides and a longer-term, system-wide, research-backed approach will be required.
“Life expectancy has increased, but living longer doesn’t currently mean living well. It’s time to stop thinking solely about how to extend life and think harder about how to improve the quality of life we already have.”
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