£5 million has been awarded to a partnership project involving Public Health Wales with the aim of reducing health inequality and improving wellbeing in Rhondda Cynon Taf Council.

The funding has been awarded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to enable Rhondda Cynon Taf to become a Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC).

The collaboration, co-led by the Wales Centre for Public Policy, will bring together partners from Public Health Wales, Cardiff University, Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board, and Interlink RCT.

Each HDRC is hosted by a local authority which works with universities or institutions with expertise in the wider determinants of health. This brings together local government knowledge with research skills from the academic community. The aim is improving the evidence base on which to make policy decisions in important areas that impact on health and health inequalities.

The new funding will use research data from local health determinants to highlight how the County Borough can work together with its communities and partners to improve public health, reduce health inequality, and make better evidence-informed decisions to deliver and inform our future services.

Further information