Headed by by Epidemiology Group Head Professor Gary Macfarlane, the new Centre held its inaugural meeting on Friday 12 June, with 40 members coming together to discuss and develop initial work plans and early research proposals.
SCWH, funded by the Colt Foundation, is a new research collaboration which brings together the Universities of Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Napier, Strathclyde, Stirling, Glasgow Caledonian University, the Institute of Occupational Medicine and staff from several NHS Boards across Scotland.
The United Kingdom is experiencing high levels of economic inactivity with increases particularly affecting young people and older workers. Currently there are almost 1 million young people who are not in employment, education and training, one of the highest rates amongst industrialised countries. The UK government has commissioned two recent reviews to understand the problem and identify possible solutions: the Mayfield Report “Keep Britain Working” and the Millburn report “Young people and work”.
A major influence on someone being economically inactive is ill-health, particularly mental ill-health and in older workers also musculoskeletal conditions.
SCWH will focus on research areas including:
- Understanding the changing nature of work
- Enabling healthy working across key transition points in people’s working lives
- Supporting people with long-term health conditions to remain working
- Preventing ill-health at work.
The Centre will work with employers, clinicians and, importantly, working people in order to undertake research which addresses these important societal issues.
This new collaboration includes several Epidemiology Group members and others from across University of Aberdeen with a background in work and health research; as well as Prof Macfarlane taking up a role as Centre Director, the theme on support for long-term conditions will be led by Dr Rosemary Hollick, and a number of research and support staff will support delivery of the Centre’s research programme.