Overview

51±¬ÁÏÍø North is a regional network that is part of 51±¬ÁÏÍø’s National Institute for health data research. This Regional Network connects regional expertise and utilises the region’s health data assets to tackle research challenges in the North.

Established in 2020 as part of the national 51±¬ÁÏÍø Better Care Programme, 51±¬ÁÏÍø North initially focused on older people with frailty, including those in care homes.Ìý These subgroups have a high prevalence of multimorbidity, are high intensity users of services and are at a substantial risk of adverse outcomes, with care home residents an especially vulnerable group. We retain our strategic focus on multimorbidity, particularly because areas in the North of England have particularly high levels of deprivation, multimorbidity and associated health inequalities.ÌýÌý With over 16 million people, the North of England faces some of the worst health outcomes, with 19 of the 20 most deprived local authorities.Ìý However, as part of the evolution to HDR North, we have expanded our work to other areas, including polypharmacy.

The regional network is led by Co-Directors and , alongside a wider leadership team from across the North of England.

 

Regional Expertise

  • 51±¬ÁÏÍø North expertise extends across our large geographic footprint that includes our six core academic institution partners (Liverpool, Leeds, Lancaster, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield). This ensures we span the necessary data science domain knowledge combined with interdisciplinary expertise in statistics, AI, computer science, economics, engineering and social sciences.Ìý
  • Our robust data infrastructure and strong partnerships across PPI, industry, Health Innovation Networks Integrated Care Systems and Secure Data Environments mean that we are well positioned to deliver research with major impact.Ìý
  • We have a strong track record in health services and systems research aligned to core NHS and social care priorities. Several projects that demonstrate 51±¬ÁÏÍø North’s regional expertise and impact include:
    • Visualisation of patient pathways and identification of data repositories in a UK Neurosciences Center- – University of LancasterÌýÌý
    • Fully integrated health and social care record for patients and citizens across theÌý Yorkshire and Humber region to support care –
    • Artificial Intelligence for dynamic prescribing optimisation and care integration in multimorbidity-Ìý Ìý
    • Avoidable Attendances: Exploring variation in acute hospital admissions. Developing criteria to define an avoidable admission- – University of SheffieldÌý
    • Pharmacogenomics research and development of personalised medicine in UK- Ìý
    • Impact on UK and global health challenges: Impact on health and social care system through development, external validation and national implementation of electronic fraility index 2 (eFI-2)- Ìý
    • A Knowledge Support System that optimises antibiotic prescribing for common infections in general practices, and provides personalised information to clinicians is currently being tested in the North West England and integrated into EMIS-Ìý University of ManchesterÌý
    • To ensure new discoveries using health data translate into improvements in health and wellbeing by establishing strong cross-sector partnerships across the region.ÌýÌý
    • To catalogue the North region’s data assets and resources and facilitate data sharing across multiple systems.ÌýÌý
    • To shape and support the data science capabilities of the NHS, local authority organisations, and workforce across the region through engagement, joint research grants, publications, and knowledge exchange activities.Ìý
    • To secure additional funding through regional collaborative applications, support doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships, and align research with regional expertise and Department of Health and Social Care priorities to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities.Ìý
    • To work with the other 51±¬ÁÏÍø regional networks on a shared purpose, to enable access to secondary care data, host knowledge exchange activities to encourage this work, and leverage further funding.ÌýÌý

  • Manfrin A, Lee K, Pound J, Pirmohamed M, Raine J. Analysis of 4616 clinical trial initial submissions received by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency between February 2019 and October 2023. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2025 Apr 9. doi: 10.1002/bcp.70061. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40203866.Ìý

    ÌýAsiimwe IG, Walker L, Sofat R, Jorgensen AL, Pirmohamed M; Multimorbidity Mechanism and Therapeutic Research Collaborative (MMTRC). Genetic Determinants of Thiazide-Induced Hyperuricemia, Hyperglycemia, and Urinary Electrolyte Disturbances – A Genome-Wide Evaluation of the UK Biobank. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2024 Jun;115(6):1408-1417. doi: 10.1002/cpt.3229. Epub 2024 Feb 29. PMID: 38425181.Ìý

    Dale CE, Takhar R, Carragher R, Katsoulis M, Torabi F, Duffield S, Kent S, Mueller T, Kurdi A, Le Anh TN, McTaggart S, Abbasizanjani H, Hollings S, Scourfield A, Lyons RA, Griffiths R, Lyons J, Davies G, Harris D, Handy A, Mizani MA, Tomlinson C, Thygesen JH, Ashworth M, Denaxas S, Banerjee A, Sterne JAC, Brown P, Bullard I, Priedon R, Mamas MA, Slee A, Lorgelly P, Pirmohamed M, Khunti K, Morris AD, Sudlow C, Akbari A, Bennie M, Sattar N, Sofat R; CVD-COVID-UK Consortium. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiovascular disease prevention and management. Nat Med. 2023 Jan;29(1):219-225. doi: 10.1038/s41591-022-02158-7. Epub 2023 Jan 19. PMID: 36658423.Ìý

    Best K, Shuweihdi F, Alvarez JCB, Relton S, Avgerinou C, Nimmons D, Petersen I, Pujades-Rodriguez M, Conroy SP, Walters K, West RM, Clegg A. Development and external validation of the electronic frailty index 2 using routine primary care electronic health record data. Age Ageing. 2025 Mar 28;54(4):afaf077. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afaf077. PMID: 40163740; PMCID: PMC11957239.Ìý

    Garner A, Lewis J, Dixon S, Preston N, Caiado CCS, Hanratty B, Jones M, Knight J, Mason SM. The impact of digital technology in care homes on unplanned secondary care usage and associated costs. Age Ageing. 2024 Feb 1;53(2):afae004. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afae004. PMID: 38346686; PMCID: PMC10861323.Ìý

    Cockshott Z, Russell S, Stocker R, Knight J, Mason S, Hanratty B, Preston N. ‘In the shower crying…but we came back in the following day and did it all again’. Distress and resilience in care home staff during the COVID-19 pandemic- A qualitative interview study. BMC Geriatr. 2024 Mar;24(1):286. doi: 10.1186/s12877-024-04804-w. PMID: 38539097; PMCID: PMC10967173.Ìý

    Witham MD, Bartle V, Bellass S, Bunn JG, Cartner D, Cordell HJ, Doal R, Evison F, Gallier S, Harris S, Hillman SJ, Holding R, Leroux P, Marshall T, Matthews FE, Missier P, Nair A, Osman M, Pearson ER, Plummer C, Pretorius S, Richardson SJ, Robinson SM, Sapey E, Scharf T, Shah R, Shahmandi M, Singer M, Suklan J, Wason JM, Cooper R, Sayer AA. Building ADMISSION – A research collaborative to transform understanding of multiple long-term conditions for people admitted to hospital. J Multimorb Comorb. 2025 Feb 1;15:26335565251317940. doi: 10.1177/26335565251317940. PMID: 39896928; PMCID: PMC11787725.Ìý

    Osman M, Cooper R, Sayer AA, Witham MD. The use of natural language processing for the identification of ageing syndromes including sarcopenia, frailty and falls in electronic healthcare records: a systematic review. Age Ageing. 2024 Jul 2;53(7):afae135. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afae135. PMID: 38970549; PMCID: PMC11227113.Ìý

    Cooper R, Bunn JG, Richardson SJ, Hillman SJ, Sayer AA, Witham MD; ADMISSION research collaborative. Rising to the challenge of defining and operationalising multimorbidity in a UK hospital setting: the ADMISSION research collaborative. Eur Geriatr Med. 2024 Jun;15(3):853-860. doi: 10.1007/s41999-024-00953-8. Epub 2024 Mar 6. PMID: 38448710; PMCID: PMC11329381.Ìý

    Best K, Todd O, Clegg A. Are frailty measurements derived using electronic health records fit for clinical use? Age Ageing. 2024 Feb 1;53(2):afae001. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afae001. PMID: 38300724.Ìý

    Frost R, Avgerinou C, Kalwarowsky S, Mahmood F, Goodman C, Clegg A, Hopkins J, Gould R, Gardner B, Marston L, Hunter R, Kharicha K, Cooper C, Skelton DA, Drennan V, Logan P, Walters K. Enabling health and maintaining independence for older people at home (HomeHealth trial): a multicentre randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2023 Nov;402 Suppl 1:S42. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02071-8. PMID: 37997084.Ìý

    Fogg C, England T, Zhu S, Jones J, de Lusignan S, Fraser SDS, Roderick P, Clegg A, Harris S, Brailsford S, Barkham A, Patel HP, Walsh B. Primary and secondary care service use and costs associated with frailty in an ageing population: longitudinal analysis of an English primary care cohort of adults aged 50 and over, 2006-2017. Age Ageing. 2024 Feb 1;53(2):afae010. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afae010. PMID: 38337044; PMCID: PMC10857897.Ìý

    Archer L, Relton SD, Akbari A, Best K, Bucknall M, Conroy S, Hattle M, Hollinghurst J, Humphrey S, Lyons RA, Richards S, Walters K, West R, van der Windt D, Riley RD, Clegg A; eFI+ investigators. Development and external validation of the eFalls tool: a multivariable prediction model for the risk of ED attendance or hospitalisation with a fall or fracture in older adults. Age Ageing. 2024 Mar 1;53(3):afae057. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afae057. PMID: 38520142; PMCID: PMC10960070.Ìý

    Crocker TF, Ensor J, Lam N, Jordão M, Bajpai R, Bond M, Forster A, Riley RD, Andre D, Brundle C, Ellwood A, Green J, Hale M, Mirza L, Morgan J, Patel I, Patetsini E, Prescott M, Ramiz R, Todd O, Walford R, Gladman J, Clegg A. Community based complex interventions to sustain independence in older people: systematic review and network meta-analysis. BMJ. 2024 Mar 21;384:e077764. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2023-077764. PMID: 38514079; PMCID: PMC10955723.Ìý

    Gilbody S, Littlewood E, McMillan D, Atha L, Bailey D, Baird K, Brady S, Burke L, Chew-Graham CA, Coventry P, Crosland S, Fairhurst C, Henry A, Hollingsworth K, Newbronner E, Ryde E, Shearsmith L, Wang HI, Webster J, Woodhouse R, Clegg A, Dexter-Smith S, Gentry T, Hewitt C, Hill A, Lovell K, Sloan C, Traviss-Turner G, Pratt S, Ekers D; BASIL trials collective. Behavioural activation to mitigate the psychological impacts of COVID-19 restrictions on older people in England and Wales (BASIL+): a pragmatic randomised controlled trial. Lancet Healthy Longev. 2024 Feb;5(2):e97-e107. doi: 10.1016/S2666-7568(23)00238-6. PMID: 38310902; PMCID: PMC10834375.Ìý

    Van Staa TP, Pirmohamed M, Sharma A, Ashcroft DM, Buchan I. Adverse drug reactions and hospital admissions: Large case-control study of patients aged 65-100 years using linked English primary care and hospital data. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2024 Jan;33(1):e5681. doi: 10.1002/pds.5681. Epub 2023 Aug 23. PMID: 37609702.Ìý

    Van Staa TP, Pirmohamed M, Sharma A, Buchan I, Ashcroft DM. Clinical Relevance of Drug-Drug Interactions With Antibiotics as Listed in a National Medication Formulary: Results From Two Large Population-Based Case-Control Studies in Patients Aged 65-100 Years Using Linked English Primary Care and Hospital Data. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2023 Feb;113(2):423-434. doi: 10.1002/cpt.2807. Epub 2022 Dec 16. PMID: 36448824; PMCID: PMC10107602.Ìý

    Jackson M, Szczepaniak M, Wall J, Maskery M, Mummery C, Morrish P, Williams A, Knight J, Emsley HCA. Numbers and types of neurological emergencies in England and the influence of socioeconomic deprivation: a retrospective analysis of hospital episode statistics data. BMJ Open. 2022 Nov 4;12(11):e061843. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-061843. PMID: 36332947; PMCID: PMC9639083.Ìý

    Biggin F, Knight J, Dayanandan R, Marson A, Wilson M, Nitkunan A, Rog D, Kipps C, Mummery C, Williams A, Emsley HCA. Outpatient neurology diagnostic coding: a proposed scheme for standardised implementation. Pract Neurol. 2023 Aug;23(4):317-322. doi: 10.1136/pn-2021-003286. Epub 2023 Feb 20. PMID: 36808078; PMCID: PMC10423506.Ìý

Professor Hedley Emsley Consultant Neurologist at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Professor of Clinical Neuroscience at Lancaster University
Monica Jones Chief Data Officer (CDO) for the University of Leeds and Associate Director for 51±¬ÁÏÍø North
Suzanne Mason Professor of Emergency Medicine
Tjeerd van Staa Professor of Health eResearch

Regional Network Manager :

Yalda Ashraf Kharaz – 51±¬ÁÏÍø

Associate Directors

  • Hedley Emsley – University of Lancaster
  • Monica Jones – University of Leeds
  • Sue Mason – University of Sheffield
  • – Northern Health Science Alliance
  • Tjeerd Van Staa – University of Manchester
  • – Newcastle University
  • – Health Innovation North West Coast

 

Patient and public involvement and engagement advisors:ÌýÌý

  • John FarendenÌý
  • Hilary GarrettÌý
  • Emily LamÌý
  • Peter LloydÌý
  • Manoj MistryÌý

Regional Partners

University of Liverpool
Lancaster University
University of Manchester
Newcastle University
University of Sheffield

Health Innovation North West Coast