About
Overview
The Public Health and Social Research Unit is responsible for the evidence base to underpin strategic decision-making in West Sussex County Council and its partners.
We are a multi-disciplinary, highly skilled and experienced research team in both health and social research.
We lead on a number of statutory responsibilities, including the production of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment on behalf of the West Sussex Health and Wellbeing Board, commissioning West Sussex Healthwatch and West Sussex County Council’s Research Governance process.
The unit can be segmented into three functions:
- Support to CCGs and other partners
- JSNA, Evidence & Evidence
- Social Research and Evaluation
Support to CCGs and other partners
The Public Health and Social Research Unit provide support to the three West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Groups (NHS Coastal West Sussex CCG, NHS Crawley CCG and NHS Horsham and Mid Sussex CCG).
This support includes maintaining and analysing health data (including data relating to births and deaths and child health data as well as published data sets from NHS Digital and Public Health England). We also work the CCGs on primary and secondary care datasets.
One of the outputs of our data support to CCGs includes maintaining the West Sussex JSNA website.
We also work to join up health and social care data for our partners in Districts and external organisations.
JSNA, Evidence & Evidence
The Public Health and Social Research Unit deliver a work programme agreed by the Health and Wellbeing Board.
Work on specific needs assessments are agreed by the Health and Wellbeing Board each year. These needs assessments are published in the reports section of this website
The unit also undertakes evidence reviews for key topics in Public Health as well as draft cost-benefit models and economic evaluations. We also utilise population and demand forecasting across health and social care domains.
Social Research and Evaluation
The Public Health and Social Research Unit provide service evaluation support across the County Council.
The Unit also provides a quality assurance and research support service; with staff holding regular ‘research surgeries’ in venues across West Sussex to support frontline practitioners undertaking research.
We also support engagement with national research programmes and opportunities in social care.
Contacting the unit
Please visit the contact page and fill in the form to get in touch with the unit.