17 Dec 2025
Looking back over a year of achievements
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Looking back over a year of achievements
As we approach the end of 2025, we’ve collated some of our most-read news stories from across this year, selecting one from each month, which you can read below.
These stories are just a snapshot of our work across this year, and you can explore more on our latest news page.
New year, new funding
In October this year we were delighted to share the news that NIHR had confirmed a new £157 million investment (over five years) for 10 NIHR Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) across England.
Partners from the North East and North Cumbria were successful in securing £15.3 million of this funding for an Applied Research Collaboration in our region, which will be hosted by the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear (CNTW) NHS Foundation Trust. Funding will begin from April 2026.
The funding will enable regional partners to build on work already delivered by the ARC NENC since 2019. This will include working regionally and nationally to scale-up successful work from our region and other regions to maximise impact and address health and social care priorities.
Looking back over 2025
January: Sharing a recipe for positive mealtimes for people with dementia
In January, James Faraday – an ARC NENC Dementia Research Fellow and Speech and Language Therapist – launched an engaging and easy-to-follow animation which explains how to support people with dementia during mealtimes. The training programme has been tested in local care homes, and work is now underway to roll it out more widely
February: Supporting children with neurodisability and their families
In February, a pilot scheme that supports children with neurodisability and their families was awarded £200k of funding from the NHS Charities Together Health Innovation Fund to continue and expand, following an evaluation funded by the ARC NENC that proved its positive impact. The evaluation found that for every £1 spent delivering the programme, it created benefits to families to be worth £2.75 – almost trebling the investment.
March: Improving care for children who have a parent in prison
In March, the ARC NENC supported a national event which explored how we can improve care and support for children and young people who have a family member in prison.
The event included a performance of a hard-hitting play called ‘8 Hours There and Back’ which depicts the real-life experiences of children who have a parent in prison, followed by workshops.
The outcomes from the event are being used to help shape recommendations for further training across all sectors working with children impacted by a relative in prison.
April: Highlighting barriers to elective surgery linked to deprivation
In March, a new study led by ARC NENC found evidence that adults who live in deprived areas tend to have more health risk factors that make it difficult for them to access the surgery they need.
The most common risk factors seen in patients waiting for routine surgery were excess weight, smoking, high-blood pressure, and high blood sugar (uncontrolled type 2 diabetes).
The findings have been shared with leaders in our health and care system to help shape targeted pre-operation support for these groups.
May: Showcasing new research to support people living with dementia
In May, ARCs across England marked national Dementia Action Week with a series of events to share how research is helping to improve care and quality of life for people living with dementia, and their families.
Our Dementia Research Fellows hosted a lively event at the Newcastle United Foundation, where attendees enjoyed a walking football session and an impromptu sing-along to ‘The Blaydon Races’. The Chronicle also came along to talk to our researchers and find out more about their work.
June: Examining barriers to childcare in the North East and offering recommendations for reform
June saw the launch of a new report, supported by ARC NENC research, which explored experiences of formal and informal childcare in our region and offered key recommendations for reform.
The report authors called for childcare to be recognised as a vital piece of national and regional economic infrastructure, which is necessary for both the health and wellbeing of families and the development of the children themselves.
July: Helping seriously ill patients to understand their rights and get support
In July, a new website was launched to support people with a long-term or serious health condition, to access help.
The ‘Routes to Rights’ website helps patients find financial, practical, and health support that could make a huge difference to quality of life. The development of the site followed a project funded by ARC NENC which aimed to understand the social and welfare consequences of having a serious or terminal illness.
August: Exploring how the public respond when a defibrillator is delivered by drone
In August, new research supported by the ARC NENC looked at how members of the public react when a defibrillator is delivered by drone in a cardiac arrest situation, to find out if it helps, or introduces new problems. The study was led by North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) Paramedic Owen Finney. Drone-assisted defibrillator delivery is currently being explored in the UK, and this study highlights the importance of understanding the potential impact of this new use of technology on patients and those delivering CPR.
Defibrillators could be delivered by drone says North East paramedic | Chronicle Live
September: Championing the use of research evidence in health and care decision-making
In September, we officially welcomed four new Knowledge Mobilisation Fellows to the ARC NENC team. The Fellows will work to support the sharing, scaling, implementation and use of research findings to improve our health and care system – both locally and nationally.
October: Shaping a scheme to deliver life-saving heart checks in our region
In October, we highlighted how ARC NENC research had helped to shape a new scheme delivering heart checks in communities across our region, to identify people at risk of heart disease, stroke, and heart attack.
More than 1,300 people have already benefited from Healthy Heart Checks delivered by Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria (HI NENC) in partnership with local organisations.
The initiative builds on earlier pilot work in Middlesbrough, which was evaluated by ARC NENC using a behavioural insights approach. The findings fed into the development of the current Healthy Heart Checks programme.
November: Launching a new publication which explores the evolving landscape of Public Involvement and Community Engagement in research
November saw the launch of Public Involvement and Community Engagement in Applied Health and Social Care Research: Critical Perspectives and Innovative Practice. The book – which is available via open access – is a thoughtfully curated exploration of PICE in research and includes powerful reflections and insights from professional groups, marginalised communities and people with lived experience.
The open access publication of the book was supported by the ARC NENC, and the collection includes contributions from ARC NENC researchers and partners.
December: Strengthening research in palliative and end of life care
In December, our region’s RIPEN network (Research in Palliative and End of Life Care North East) published a report which demonstrated how the network had acted as a catalyst for palliative and end of life care research and practice collaborations in our region.
RIPEN was established in 2022, funded by a NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research Award, and its work has been supported by the ARC NENC’s Multimorbidity, Ageing and Frailty theme.
RIPEN network has successfully helped to promote palliative and end of life care research in the North East and North Cumbria by providing a framework for collaborations to develop and knowledge to be shared across research and practice.
The Network supported a level of research activity that went far beyond the funding and provided a much-needed stimulus for end of life and palliative care research in the North East and North Cumbria region
New work added to our Evidence Hub in 2025
During 2025, we also published 34 new research briefings covering a wide breadth of work from our seven research themes.
You can explore more on our Evidence Hub.