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New Researchers-in-Residence scheme with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities London (OHIDL) and the Greater London Authority Public Health Unit (GLA).

The Researchers in Residence Scheme is a policy fellowship scheme between UCL, OHID and now GLA to strengthen networks and develop researchers’ skills and experience in contributing to policy work. UCL Public Policy, in collaboration with UCL Health of the Public, is offering support for up to five Researchers in Residence to collaborate with OHIDL and GLA.Ìý

These policy fellowships present a valuable opportunity for UCL researchers to deepen their insights into a government department and a regional governance body and how they work together. ÌýIt is a great opportunity for researchers to apply their knowledge and skills in a setting outside academia. Researchers in Residence will develop new contacts and build their networks, and strengthen research capacity and capability inside policy organisations to help unlock current policy challenges. Fellows will either be based with OHIDL or GLA but working on projects that align with the other organisation’s areas of interest.Ìý

These fellowships will span four to six months, from January to July, and are funded through Research England's QR Policy Support Fund (QR-PSF). Ìý

Deadline for applications: 24 October,Ìý17:00 GMT

Project

OHIDL

• Project One: Improving mental health of Young Londoners - supporting the London Plan and the London Mental Health Mission
• Project Two: Improving evidence generation for community centred approaches to drive health equity
• Project Three: Increasing economic activity through better health and skills

GLA

• Project Four: Overcrowding Ìý- health impacts and effective mitigation measures
• Project Five: London Plan - planning and health Ìý- evidence for planning and influence on wider determinants of health

Below are further details of these three projects, and applicants should identify which project/s they are interested in working on in their application

Projects with OHIDL

Project One: Improving Mental health of Young Londoners - supporting the London Plan and the London Mental Health Mission

Background
Thrive LDN are exploring options for rebalancing the health and social care system towards mental health prevention. They have engaged extensively across the health and social care system and with community groups and Londoners with lived experience of mental illness and developed a plan focusing direct action on 4 areas:

• Young Londoners’ mental health
• Suicide and self-harm reduction for young Londoners
• Climate, environment, and mental health
• Physical and mental health

The Fellowship

The fellow will produce a literature review of the evidence for the health benefits of planning interventions/changes to the local or neighbourhood environment to improve mental health for children and young people. They will undertake stakeholder engagement with communities, providers and subject matter experts; and provide case studies of the current best practice to improve mental health for young people, and barriers to implementation. They will integrate their findings with the literature review to co-produce recommendations with a view for OHIDL to Ìýimplement these.
The fellow will likely produce a short report and slide deck for dissemination with stakeholders. The fellow will have the opportunity to present their findings at a number of mental health fora.Ìý

This is a collaborative project with THRIVE LDN. If timings fits, the fellow will provide briefings to GLA’s London Plan project. Ìý(see project five).Ìý

Supervisor: Jackie Chin, working with Emer O’Connell, GLA

Project Two: Improving evidence generation for community centred approaches to drive health equity

Background

Participation is a driver of health equity. Community centred approaches are an important element to empower communities and a mechanism to adapt and tailor interventions to create more appropriate and accessible services and helps to build trust between populations and providers. OHIDL have identified variations in how evidence is interpreted and generated as a barrier to sustaining these approaches. Supporting evaluations amongst community groups will enable better evidence generation and increase appreciation of their value.

The Fellowship
This fellowship will investigate the existing effective methods and instruments for evaluation of community centred approach pilots that focus on impact on health inequalities. The fellow will produce a literature review to identify evaluation guides and instruments suitable for community implementation.Ìý

The fellow will work with the GLA’s Health Inequalities team to work with community groups to develop a guide, toolkit and training materials for participatory approaches to evaluations of community centred approaches. These will be used by Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSE) to conduct their own evaluations of pilots.

Supervisors: Carly Tutty-Johnson and Elizabeth Walsch, working with Karen Steadman and Gus Wilson in GLA
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Project Three: Increasing economic activity through better health and skills

Background

The previous government under Rishi Sunak announced a new employment programme – Universal Support (US) – to support economically inactive and disabled people into work. The new government under Keir Starmer has committed to work, health and skills plans for the economically inactive, led by local areas. In London, it was agreed with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)that the US programme would be led by Sub-Regional Partnerships. We expect any successor programme to US to start in August 2025.

The Fellowship
This fellowship will examine how OHIDL can increase uptake of support services for those who are long term economically inactive, and facilitate return to the workforce.Ìý

The fellow will gather information from partners on the current need and service provision for economically inactive or disabled people who could be supported into work. They will produce a literature review on the key barriers and facilitators for those who are long term economically inactive to engage with support services to understand how to engage effectively with disabled and inactive people in LondonÌý

The fellow will conduct focus groups with clients and stakeholders (including within Combined Authorities across England) to understand their experiences, needs, barriers and facilitators to accessing what support they require to meet their employment, health and skills needs. These additional insights will compliment, contextualise and triangulate findings from the literature. The fellow will provide recommendations to shape the design and delivery of a work and health support programme and how best to integrate work, health and skills support in London.

Supervisor: Elaine Rashbrook, working with Alice Walker in GLA.
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GLA Projects

Project Four: Overcrowding Ìý- health impacts and effective mitigation measures

Background

London has the worst overcrowding issues nationally, with significant implications for health and health inequalities. The Mayor's manifesto makes a commitment to an overcrowding taskforce, which the GLA will want to provide evidence to and be clear about what recommendations they might make from a health/health in all policies point of view. There has been recent work undertaken to review the literature on overcrowding impact and interventions. There is also work being undertaken in London boroughs to mitigate the impact of overcrowding.

The Fellowship

The RIR will be looking at the following questions:

• What does the current evidence review work tell us about the impact of overcrowding on health, and effective mitigation measures?
• What do we know from work underway about best practice approaches?Ìý
• What is the population most likely to be impacted and where do they live in London?Ìý
• How do these housing conditions issues interact?Ìý
• What do boroughs think is viable to achieve on housing conditions such as overcrowding and what are the trade-offs and opportunity costs?

The RIR will be working with GLA to review recent evidence reviews and interventions reviews undertaken to pull together key learning. The fellow will interview members of Health Determinants Research Collaborations about their work in this area to build a picture of best practice approaches within and outside of London, and any ongoing research and evaluation on these issues. The RIR will pull together information, including available data and write a paper which estimates the health impact for London, mitigation options and trade-offs and who can take these forward and what benefit they would be to health.Ìý

Supervisor: Emma De Zoete, working with Jackie Chin in OHIDL

Project Five: London Plan - planning and health Ìý- evidence for planning and influence on wider determinants of health.

Background

The London Plan is the strategic planning framework for the city, setting out the vision and legal framework for planning in London. It is a powerful lever for influencing the wider determinants of health. The London Plan is under review with a scheduled programme to develop the evidence-base for a new plan, which will include new and revised planning policies.

The Fellowship

This fellowship presents an exciting opportunity to undertake rapid reactive work to shape London Plan. The fellow will be required to conduct a literature review to support evidence briefings for policy development and document reviews to identify opportunities for health in existing/ proposed London plan policies. The fellow will collate studies from other cities in the UK and globally, and produce stakeholder reviews to ensure health representation in spatial and non-spatial policy design. The fellow will produce a policy briefing and submit it to the London Plan call for evidence. They will also produce a policy review of the implementation of Health in all Policies within strategic planning. There is opportunity to co-design the project scope based on the fellow’s interests and expertise.Ìý

This fellowship is particularly suitable for town planners, geographers, architects, and those working on climate change.Ìý

Supervisor: Emer O’Connell, working with Jackie Chin in OHIDL
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About You

These secondments are open to eligible academic and research staff at 911±¬ÁÏÍø Grade 6, 7 or 8 (and CL7 and CL8). They are offered on a flexible part-time to full-time basis for four to six months, from mid-January until mid-July. Funding must be spent before the 31st July. Eligible applicants must have a UCL employment contract that extends beyond the secondment period. Please contact the Policy Fellowship Coordinator (alice.tofts@ucl.ac.uk) if you are interested in this opportunity but you are not eligible.Ìý

Essential criteriaÌý

• Excellent research and analytic skills, with demonstrated experience or transferable skills in designing and carrying out feasibility studies, and translating research findings to other contexts.
• Expertise and experience in using research as a means of informing and contributing towards policy development.
• Ability to operate effectively, openly and collaboratively within sensitive political contexts.
• Ability to demonstrate neutrality and impartiality while navigating competing stakeholder interests.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to effectively engage with people from different backgrounds and sectors, and at different levels of seniority. Particularly important are writing skills and proven communications experience.
• Understanding of the academic policy-engagement environment, and an ability to grasp project priorities quickly.
• Ability to work proactively, managing and prioritising your own workload, while managing contingencies between multiple project stakeholders.
• An interest in understanding the role of DHSC, OHID, and the GLA.

Desirable criteria

• Policy development and implementation experience.
• Previous experience of working with DHSC, local authorities or allied bodies.

To Apply

Please complete the to apply for this opportunity. If you would like to apply to more than one project, please submit two application forms. If you have difficulty in accessing or using this form please contact public-policy@ucl.ac.uk. If you have any questions please take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions page.Ìý

We particularly welcome applications from black and minority ethnic, female and disabled/neurodivergent candidates.

Top ranked candidates will be invited to an informal interview on Thursday 7ÌýNovember.Ìý

Please note all information (except name and email address) provided in the application form will be shared with OHIDL or GLA to assess your suitability for the award. For more information on data sharing please see the UCL Staff Privacy Statement here and UCL statement on tasks in the public interest here.Ìý

Application Deadline: Thursday 24th October 17:00 GMT.
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About OHID

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) officially launched on 1 October 2021 with the aim of tackling health inequalities across the country. As part of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), OHID brings together expert advice, analysis and evidence with policy development and implementation working with the whole of government, the NHS, local government, industry and wider partners to shape and drive health improvement and equalities priorities for government.Ìý

OHID London have a key role in developing and maintaining relationships with local authorities, local resilience fora, NHS commissioners and the providers of public health services from the public, third and independent sector to support and influence the delivery of improved outcomes for the public’s health. Integrating the different public health disciplines, providing effective services and support for health protection, health improvement and health care public health with a focus on reducing health inequalities, OHID London provides a single point of access to the full range of OHID’s specialist skills and knowledge. OHID London enables a flexible approach to service and support provision, within a nationally consistent framework.

About GLA

The Greater London Authority (GLA) is the democratically elected strategic authority for London. It comprises two distinct parts, the Mayor of London and the London Assembly. It was established in 2000, following a London wide referendum to approve proposals for an elected London-wide body. The Mayor is the executive of the GLA, and is responsible for its core functions: transport, policing, fire and rescue, planning and housing.Ìý
The Mayor established the Greater London Authority Group Public Health Unit because in order reduce health inequalities, we must also tackle the wide ranging factors that affect a person’s health, including housing, transport, environment, employment and skills, community safety, social cohesion and discrimination, and poverty.
The GLA Group Public Health Unit works across the GLA and four organisations in the wider GLA Group, to ensure that prevention, resilience and tackling health inequalities are part of each organisation’s strategy and planning.

About 911±¬ÁÏÍø Health of the PublicÌý

UCL Health of the Public is a virtual School bringing multiple disciplines together to improve health for all, taking forward ideas presented in the Academy of Medical Sciences report . We aim to develop new research communities and collaborations across many fields, including engineering, climate science, the built environment, law and social sciences, alongside population health sciences. This will encourage innovative perspectives in our research and education, and create a new cadre of researchers and students with skills that transcend disciplines. By working together with multiple disciplines, and in collaboration with local communities, local government, the NHS, the third sector, and industry, we hope to have real impact and ensure a healthy future for all.
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