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UEL Professor is awarded £96,000 grant for pioneering research

Monday 29 March 2010

Angela Harden, Professor of Community and Family Health at UEL will be leading a team of health, education and social science experts to look at inequalities around accessing antenatal care in Newham, with a prestigious £96,000 grant awarded by the Department of Health’s National Institute of Health Research (NIHR).

Professor Harden, who is based at UEL’s Institute of Health and Human Development at the School of Health and Bioscience and is also Professor of Community and Family Health at Newham University Hospital NHS Trust, will carry out a one year pilot and development study to probe how to improve antenatal services for women and their families in Newham.

The study is a collaborative project between Newham University Hospital NHS Trust and UEL, with contributions from the Institute of Education at the University of East London.

The funding was awarded to Professor Harden by the NIHR Programme Development Grants for Applied Research funding scheme.

Starting in June, the project will explore the social factors that affect early and consistent access to antenatal care. The team will hold interviews and focus groups in the community to get the views of women who are having, or have recently had, antenatal care. Routinely collected data from hospital records will be analysed, health professionals views sought, and international research investigated. Suggestions will then be made as to how services could be improved. What the Trust is doing particularly well on will be highlighted too.

Professor Harden, whose post is bringing research closer to practice in innovative ways within the NHS, has previously conducted extensive research into the health of children, young people and the families and communities in which they live. She has also published extensively.

She said: “We are looking to help women access antenatal care as early as possible in their pregnancy, ideally before ten weeks. Previous research and data suggests accessing these services is not always straightforward or easy, particularly for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged women who may have complex medical and social needs.”

Studies suggest that women born outside the UK, young women under 18, and other groups such as homeless women, asylum seekers, and those experiencing domestic abuse are more likely to experience late and inconsistent access to antenatal care. It also shows that geographical location of services and staff attitudes are important too.

It is hoped the study will lead to further funding for a five year research programme addressing the issues identified.

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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