Scarborough Hospital Awarded £1.2m Research Funding for Coastal Emergency Care
Scarborough Hospital has been awarded £1.2m of national funding for research into rural and coastal emergency healthcare from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
In collaboration with academics from University of York, and the University of Birmingham, the hospital research project will help to outline how important it is to improve emergency care for residents in rural and coastal areas.
The project officially starts this month, spearheaded by Dr Arabella Scantlebury (University of Birmingham) and Professor Joy Adamson (University of York), and aims to address the unique challenges and issues faced by rural coastal emergency departments.
Scarborough South Bay harbor in North Yorskire, England Credit: Adobe Stock / stanciuc
Quoted on the NHS York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals website, Dr Scantlebury said:
Developing ways of providing urgent and emergency care in rural and coastal areas in an equitable way is a priority for the NHS and the UK Government. Changes need to be designed with the needs of local patients and local problems in mind.
As such, local community groups from Scarborough are helping to make sure the research addresses issues that are important to people living in rural coastal communities. These communities are often diverse, and the researchers want to make sure the project helps and represents as many people as possible.
The rural and coastal emergency care departments often experience higher demand during the summer months, as people head to the coast for holidays – causing overcrowding for the healthcare system.
It is reported that rural and coastal residents often have poorer health, and lower life expectancy, partly due to the lack of access to healthcare services.
The Hospital study is on a mission to determine how the NHS can effectively and promptly deliver emergency care in these regions that are struggling at the moment.
Scarborough residents have been providing support to the funding through feedback, and some community groups, such as Age UK and SeeCHANGE have been engaging with researchers.
SeeCHANGE Scarborough is “an innovative cross sector partnership funded by the National Lottery Community Fund for three years to help realise a healthier Scarborough.”
In the same article, Rebecca Blakey, Community Engagement Officer for SeeCHANGE, commented:
It will improve the environment and equipment of the hospital to help staff give the patients the correct and efficient treatment whilst they are in their care.
The study will provide a better understanding of how emergency care is being transformed in rural coastal areas, by helping understand which models, or ways of working, help improve patient care and help emergency services cope with demand.
The findings from this research study are expected to be released in 2027, providing valuable and vital insights for optimising urgent and emergency care for these hard-to-reach areas.
This is a big step in the right direction for healthcare for rural and coastal residents.
