Findings from research at Newcastle on health inequalities and the basis on which economic decisions are made have informed the recommendations made to and adopted by the Secretary of State of Health. These recommendations influenced two specific areas of the National Health Service (NHS) budget allocation. Formulae developed by Professor Wildman and his colleagues are of key importance in determining the allocation of the NHS's £8bn prescribing budget and the £10.4bn mental health services budget.

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• Professor John Wildman

 

A significant body of research at Newcastle University, led by Professor Charles, has played a key role both in articulating the importance of universities to regional development and in demonstrating how this may be enacted.

In 2002, Charles and colleagues developed a benchmarking tool for regional engagement that enabled universities to assess the effectiveness of their engagement. This tool has been extensively used during the current impact period, most recently in 2010-11 as part of an international review of universities across 20 countries undertaken by the Pascal Observatory.

The significance of the impact lies in the tool enabling Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to respond directly to the new policy imperative of engagement beyond academia. The reach of the impact is evidenced by the use of the benchmarking tool in the UK and internationally.

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• Professor David Charles

Based on longstanding research strengths in food policy and marketing, Newcastle University was commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to review and evaluate England's Regional Food Strategy (RFS) and provide recommendations for ministers. The evaluation's recommendations resulted in £2m of additional public sector investment to the food sector and inclusion within the priorities of the Rural Development Programme for England (2007-2013).

The structures introduced as a result of the report were kept in place despite the abolition of the Regional Development Agencies. These included eight Regional Food Groups providing specialist assistance to business and enhanced support by DEFRA for obtaining EU protected status for regionally distinctive foods.

In terms of significance, the research influenced an important area of national policy which has left an enduring legacy for the benefit of farming and rural development.  In terms of reach, the impact of the research has extended beyond the EU to the development of local food networks in the Balkans.

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• Dr Matthew Gorton

Research at Newcastle has made a significant contribution to the public services modernisation agenda in the areas of inter-agency working and information-sharing.

The research showed that effective information-sharing required not just that different information systems are made compatible with each other, but also that people from different professional cultures are enabled to work together through a common understanding of information governance issues.

In active collaboration with a range of service providers, a number of processes and tools were developed for the significant benefit of service users. They have been implemented in a variety of policy settings, including children's services and adult social care, and have informed current programmes funded by the UK government. 

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• Dr Rob Wilson
• Framework for Multi Agency Environments (FAME)

In order to address the issue of why so many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) find it difficult to put the principles of lean production into practice, research at Newcastle developed a ‘bite-size’ methodology suited to their requirements. 

The research has had impact in three areas:

• on the practice of 25 SMEs involved in an international project in the North Sea Region of Europe
• on the performance of these companies on such measures as cost and productivity
• in the form of six new Innovative Productivity Centres, on the regional infrastructural support for SMEs

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• Professor Chris Hicks

The research at Newcastle led by Dr Jane Gibbon has resulted in the development of a model of social accounting which has been co-produced with different third sector organisations. Impact can be demonstrated in three areas:

• a number of organisations have implemented the model, resulting in improved practice through a better understanding of their stakeholders’ perspectives
• it has contributed towards the sustainability of these organisations, by allowing them to demonstrate the full extent of their work
• practitioner debate in both the accounting and third sector communities has been informed

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• Dr Jane Gibbon

Research carried out at Newcastle has developed the understanding of the economic value of the risks to human life across a range of public services, especially transport and health.

The model pioneered at Newcastle changed the way in which the risk to human life is calculated. Rather than simply calculating the loss of economic output as a result of injury or death, it takes into account individuals' 'willingness to pay' in order to reduce mortality risk.

The model has dominated the terms of UK policy discussion in areas in which safety is a central concern. The research has directly shaped the development of government policy and associated guidelines for a range of departments and organisations, particularly through its inclusion in the HM Treasury Green Book.

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• Professor Susan Chilton