Healthy Futures East – Linking knowledge, practice and place
Danielle Tucker, Healthy Futures East Programme Director.
November 2025
A new collaboration for population health in the East of England
The East of England is a region of contrasts — geographically, economically and demographically. It’s home to world-class academic institutions and health organisations, yet many communities still face health inequalities, long waiting times and limited access to care.
The population is ageing, with more people living with multiple long-term conditions. In some areas, the gap in life expectancy between the most and least deprived communities exceeds nine years. Meanwhile, workforce pressures, fragmented systems, and financial constraints are putting services under strain: general practices handle over 3.1 million appointments monthly, and A&E departments see more than 226,000 patients.
The need for coordinated, preventative and evidence-informed approaches has never been greater.
Why Healthy Futures East?
Healthy Futures East (HFE) is a new regional collaboration bringing together universities, NHS bodies, local authorities and community organisations to improve population health with Cambridge Public Health as a core partner.
The aim is to connect research and practice, ensuring that knowledge – whether academic, experiential or community-based – drives practical, locally relevant change.
HFE builds on the work of the East of England Population Health Research Hub (PHResH), which has already demonstrated the value of regional collaboration, capacity building and systems thinking. The next step is to move from insight to impact – embedding evaluation, supporting implementation and fostering a culture of shared learning.
A systems approach to transformation
What sets HFE apart is its grounding in systems thinking – recognising that health and care systems are complex and adaptive, shaped by relationships, context and interdependencies. Optimising one part of the system in isolation often leads to unintended consequences elsewhere.
That’s why HFE takes a whole-system view, focusing on problem-seeking as well as problem-solving. Our approach is guided by principles developed through regional collaboration and national frameworks:
- Transformation is a whole-system process, where evaluation is integrated into design and delivery
- We embrace complexity, recognising that solutions must be adaptive, resilient and locally owned
- We combine data with lived experience, using mixed methods to understand what works, for whom, and in what context
- We build capacity across sectors, supporting reflective practice and evidence-informed decision-making
- We foster collaboration, bringing people together across boundaries to co-create solutions.
This isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about creating the conditions for long-term, embedded improvement.
What will Healthy Futures East do?
At the heart of HFE is a Task Force model – small groups of academics, practitioners and community partners working together on specific health challenges. Each Task Force will define the problem, synthesise evidence, and develop practical, locally tailored recommendations.
To support this work, HFE is launching a Fellowship Programme in 2026. The fellowships will offer health and care professionals the opportunity to lead short, impactful projects focused on systems transformation, with an initial emphasis on prevention. Fellows will co-lead a Task Force, helping to turn research into practical solutions and fostering innovation across organisational boundaries.
HFE will also:
- Mobilise knowledge by synthesising academic research, service experience and local insight into accessible, actionable outputs
- Build capacity through professional development at the research–practice interface, including training on implementation and evaluation
- Align with Integrated Care Systems and regional priorities to ensure relevance and impact.
Together, these activities form a joined-up programme that supports collaboration, learning and transformation across the East of England.
Our network
Healthy Futures East is built on the principle that no single organisation can solve complex health challenges alone. Our network spans universities, NHS providers, Integrated Care Boards, local authorities, public health teams, research networks and community organisations – each bringing different perspectives, expertise and assets.
This diversity reflects our systems approach, which recognises that meaningful change happens when people work across boundaries and disciplines, not in silos.
By involving both academic and service partners, HFE creates space for shared learning and co-production. We value lived experience alongside formal research and aim to build relationships that support long-term collaboration rather than short-term projects.
Get involved
HFE is designed to be inclusive and collaborative. Whether you work in health or care services, research, policy or community organisations, there are ways to contribute.
You can join a Task Force, apply for a Fellowship, take part in events, or stay connected through our mailing list. We’ll be sharing updates, opportunities and insights as the programme develops.