RESTORE – Research for Equitable System Response and Recovery
Data Use Register - full project summary
Project Identifier
NWSDE_2526_0053_PILOT
Project Title
RESTORE - Research for Equitable System Response and Recovery
Lay summary
This is a research project designed to find the most effective approaches for identifying “at risk” groups for several adverse outcomes and whether better targeting of support at these groups effectively reduces their risks.
The COVID-19 crisis has hit the most disadvantaged hardest, increasing inequalities. The emerging risks to health are multiple, complex, crosssectoral, and rapidly changing. The control measures have led to delays in screening and diagnoses for cancer, vaccination uptake, and interruption to schooling and child protection services.
The economic recession caused by the pandemic has led to more families living below the bread line, bigger 2 CIPHA_S2C_Empower_Access Request differences in household income between rich and poor, homelessness, and food poverty.
To effectively respond to these risks local systems are using linked data to segment the population, for example through the COVID-19 shielding programme for identifying at-risk population groups and target limited resources to prevent adverse outcomes. The health and health inequalities impact of these approaches is not known. We do not know the most effective approaches for identifying “at risk” groups for many of these outcomes or whether better targeting of support at these groups effectively reduces their risks.
This work will enable us to answer the following research questions. - Which population groups have been at increased risk, during and after the pandemic, of (1) mortality, (2) health care utilisation, (3) developing mental health problems, (4) adverse childhood outcomes, and what are the mechanisms driving any increased risks, and how are they changing over time? - How effective have current approaches to risk segmentation been at protecting vulnerable groups before, during and after the COVID crisis, and how could they be improved? - What is the best way to embed segmentation models derived from this causal analysis within health systems to effectively target support to reduce health inequalities
The COVID-19 crisis has hit the most disadvantaged hardest, increasing inequalities. The emerging risks to health are multiple, complex, crosssectoral, and rapidly changing. The control measures have led to delays in screening and diagnoses for cancer, vaccination uptake, and interruption to schooling and child protection services.
The economic recession caused by the pandemic has led to more families living below the bread line, bigger 2 CIPHA_S2C_Empower_Access Request differences in household income between rich and poor, homelessness, and food poverty.
To effectively respond to these risks local systems are using linked data to segment the population, for example through the COVID-19 shielding programme for identifying at-risk population groups and target limited resources to prevent adverse outcomes. The health and health inequalities impact of these approaches is not known. We do not know the most effective approaches for identifying “at risk” groups for many of these outcomes or whether better targeting of support at these groups effectively reduces their risks.
This work will enable us to answer the following research questions. - Which population groups have been at increased risk, during and after the pandemic, of (1) mortality, (2) health care utilisation, (3) developing mental health problems, (4) adverse childhood outcomes, and what are the mechanisms driving any increased risks, and how are they changing over time? - How effective have current approaches to risk segmentation been at protecting vulnerable groups before, during and after the COVID crisis, and how could they be improved? - What is the best way to embed segmentation models derived from this causal analysis within health systems to effectively target support to reduce health inequalities
Public benefit statement
It is expected that the research will lead to more effective early identification of groups at risk during the crisis and will enable them to be provided with effective support to prevent escalation, this has the potential to have a major impact on peoples’ health particularly more disadvantaged groups who have been most adversely affected by the pandemic.
- Health and social care systems will potentially benefit from better guidelines and decision-support systems leading to more effective identification of people at risk during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and rapid action to reduce those risks.
This will be crucial to enable the effective use of public resources that are under extreme strain. The outcomes highlighted in this project –severe COVID-19 and non-COVID disease, adverse mental health outcomes and adverse child outcomes are devastating for the people and families involved and have huge economic and social costs.
Even preventing a few of these outcomes would have large financial benefits for places such as C&M. For example every child-in-care costs an average of £186K pa. If successful early interventions avoid just three, this research would financially pay for itself within a year.
- The public will potentially benefit in health and wealth from this research if it improves the prevention of adverse health outcomes through civic system-wide approaches. A routine life-course approach to early risk identification will emphasise the long- term health and economic returns of more preventive, system-wide interventions.
- Health and social care systems will potentially benefit from better guidelines and decision-support systems leading to more effective identification of people at risk during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and rapid action to reduce those risks.
This will be crucial to enable the effective use of public resources that are under extreme strain. The outcomes highlighted in this project –severe COVID-19 and non-COVID disease, adverse mental health outcomes and adverse child outcomes are devastating for the people and families involved and have huge economic and social costs.
Even preventing a few of these outcomes would have large financial benefits for places such as C&M. For example every child-in-care costs an average of £186K pa. If successful early interventions avoid just three, this research would financially pay for itself within a year.
- The public will potentially benefit in health and wealth from this research if it improves the prevention of adverse health outcomes through civic system-wide approaches. A routine life-course approach to early risk identification will emphasise the long- term health and economic returns of more preventive, system-wide interventions.
Legal Name of contracting organisation
University of Liverpool
Date of countersigned contract
22/04/2025
Health Research Classification System
Generic Health Relevance
Current Project Status
Live Data Contract Signed
Multiple SDE
No
Is SDE the lead in this project?
Yes
Name of SDE parties
N/A
Is SDE the lead in this project?
Yes
Further information