The launch of the Applied Research Collaboration Thames Valley (ARC: Thames Valley) at MK Gallery in Milton Keynes was not just a formal beginning. It was a statement about how this work needs to be done: with local people, community organisations, health and care staff and researchers working together from the start.

For many people, research can feel remote. It can sound like something that happens in universities, reports and meetings, far away from the pressures of booking a GP appointment, caring for an older relative, supporting a child who is struggling, or managing a long-term condition.

That is why the promise of  the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) ARC: Thames Valley matters. Research should connect with the places where health and care are experienced every day, from neighbourhoods to care settings and public services.

The fair question for local people is simple: how will this help my family, my community or the services I rely on? ARC: Thames Valley has been created to keep that question visible, and to focus on problems that affect everyday lives across the region.

That is why the launch involved more than speeches. Members of the public, community partners and local organisations were able to ask questions, share perspectives and help shape the conversation. Illustration, poetry and storytelling were used to make different kinds of insights visible.

The work will focus on health across life: children and young people, working-age adults and older people. It will also look at how digital tools, data and social care can help services learn faster, make better decisions and give people better support.

The benefits of this collaboration should be practical and visible: local priorities will help shape what gets studied, communities will have more opportunities to contribute and good evidence will move more smoothly into the places where it can make a difference.

Quotes:

Dr Karl Marlowe, Chief Medical Officer, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust:
“The NIHR ARC: Thames Valley will help bridge the gap between evidence and impact, ensuring that research leads to meaningful improvements in health and care. Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust is proud to host this collaboration and support the partnerships that will drive innovation, reduce inequalities and improve lives across our communities.”

Co-Director Professor Kam Bhui CBE:
“The power of an ARC lies in collaboration. No single organisation, profession or community has all the answers. By bringing together different forms of expertise and experience, we can understand the challenges facing people and services more clearly and turn research knowledge into action that improves health and care and tackles inequalities.”

Co-Director Professor Shivani Sharma:
“We want research to travel faster into everyday life, so that good ideas can make a difference sooner for patients, families, services and communities. That means listening carefully, building trust and working with the people who know what health and care feels like on the ground.”

Una Rennard, Public Involvement Manager:
“Patient and Public Involvement should never be an add-on or afterthought. It is about building relationships, learning together and valuing people’s skills, knowledge and experience so they can influence what we ask, how we work and the difference research makes.”

Dr Christine Burt, Director of Research and Innovation Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

“Thank you ARC: Thames Valley for such an inspiring launch day with people in the room from the NHS, academic institutions other healthcare providers and the third sector.  This sends a clear message of intentional collaboration which will bring us closer to a truly integrated healthcare network with excellent research opportunities across regions.”

Top 3 messages from ARC TV:

1. Research should help people sooner — by giving services practical evidence they can use to prevent illness, improve care and reduce health inequalities.

1. The pressure on services is growing — with more people living with long-term physical and mental health conditions, including during working age.

Change must be shaped together — by working with patients, the public, communities, health and care staff and regional partners, especially people whose voices are too often missing.

You can contact the ARC: Thames Valley: arc-tv@psych.ox.ac.uk