SISCC: Supporting Research into Practice

An initiative to improve the quality of health and social care and help world-leading research impact across society, has been launched by Shona Robison MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport. The Scottish Improvement Science Collaborating Centre (SISCC), seeks to identify the best ways of improving safety, increasing care and compassion, reducing inequalities, and improving health and well-being.

 “I am pleased to be opening this ambitious Scotland-wide collaboration. By working widely with others to strengthen the evidence, develop best practice and foster innovation, this centre can help support continued and lasting improvements to the quality of care,” the Minister said.

Based at the University of Dundee and led by Professor Mary Renfrew from the School of Nursing and Midwifery, the collaboration involves colleagues across the Schools of Medicine and Dentistry,  partner universities, health boards, local authorities and service user groups across Scotland.

The project received £3.75 million from the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office, The Health Foundation, NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and The Scottish Funding Council, while partner organisations have contributed matched support.

Professor Mary Renfrew said, “This Centre will address one of the major questions which has always surrounded health and social care, namely how do we develop great research, whether done here in Scotland or internationally, into sustainable and consistent practice that can have a real impact on people’s lives?” Valuable research – in biomedicine, in applied health research, in evidence-based policy and guidance – that could make a real difference isn’t always very easy to translate to the frontline of health services, she added.

“We want to change that and a major part of what this Centre will be doing is involving patients and public more in developing new services, systems and practices. It is an integrated approach that doesn’t just impose new systems on people or organisations but works with them to get the best results.”

The project will focus initially on two streams; maternal and child health, first project on care in neonatal units; and older people, with first projects on physical activity and complex medicines management.