The National Insights Prioritisation Programme (NIPP) is a new collaborative that leverages the expertise of NIHR Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) and Health Innovation Networks to evaluate new ways of working, initiated or accelerated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health Innovation Manchester, the AHSN for Greater Manchester and East Cheshire, and the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester (NIHR ARC-GM) have been awarded £275,000 funding for a rapid insights project. The project will examine the way vaccinations for COVID-19 have been provided to people living within Greater Manchester, with the aim of uptake local vaccine uptake and delivery in future.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unequal impact on populations in the UK, with Greater Manchester experiencing disproportionally high virus-related morbidity and mortality. Although the COVID-19 vaccination programme has been hugely impactful, uptake of the vaccines has varied across Greater Manchester communities and neighbourhoods.

The joint project will examine barriers to vaccination uptake across the region and learn from local approaches undertaken to overcome these, with an aim to gain rapid insights into innovation development, implementation and outcomes.

This research and information will be used to explore further opportunities for targeted vaccination activities and produce actionable guidance for all types of vaccination programmes delivered now and in the future across Greater Manchester.

The NHS Insights Prioritisation Programme was established by the NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to accelerate the evaluation and implementation of innovation that supports post-pandemic ways of working, builds service resilience and delivers benefits to patients. The programme will run from November 2021 to March 2023 with each project expected to deliver rapid insights by March 2023.