National partnerships: Barnsley

Lead: Dr Salah Gariballa

Today, the estimated total population of Barnsley District is 230,000. Care of the Elderly Services are shared between the Barnsley District General Hospital Trust and the Community and Priority Services Trust to ensure that elderly people receive the best possible care. Both Trusts are committed to the pursuit of service excellence through, amongst other things, the development of researched based services.

The Barnsley District General Hospital Trust has a sub-group which co-ordinates Research & Development strategy and planning with the general strategic direction and business planning of the Trust. Over the past two years the Trust has worked with the Sheffield Institute for Studies on Ageing (SISA) and established two senior academic appointments in the Department of Health Care for Elderly People.

Both posts have their clinical sessions and base their research in Barnsley, thus extending the scope of the research opportunities available to SISA whilst improving the recruitment potential and range of services offered in Barnsley.

Priority Research Areas

Rehabilitation and Technology
Disability and ageing are two of South Yorkshire Coalfields Health Action Zone priorities. The research area of Rehabilitation & Technology is well established within Barnsley with strong links with research groups at Sheffield, Hallam, DeMontfort and Loughborough Universities. Collaborative research with these Universities is in areas of technology to support independence for severely disabled elderly people, including human computer interfaces; speech recognition for people with dysarthria, requirement assessment; information technology; tele-therapy via computer networks and outcome measures.

Stroke and Ischaemic Heart Disease
The incidence of stroke and ischaemic heart disease in Barnsley is not known, this is because routine data sources identify only those patients who are admitted to hospital. However, the standardised mortality rate for cerebrovascular disease in Barnsley for the period 1993-95, was 111 (95% confidence interval 103-119). This placed Barnsley 80th worst out of the 100 English Health Authorities.

Currently in Barnsley, the prevalence of classical and potential risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in the community is unknown. There are also no structured efforts aimed at management of these risk factors. A series of studies is underway to obtain basic knowledge about the prevalence of these risk factors, their influence on the population health and well-being and factors which may influence future management strategies.

Bones and Joints
This is a growing area of multi-disciplinary research activity in Barnsley which has a focus on genetics, educational and health services research. Examples of research areas include early predictors of disability in arthritic elderly patients; genetics of Osteo and Rheumatoid arthritis, the role of patients education as a treatment tool in psoriatic arthritis; and the role of inter-professional learning amongst nurses, medical students and therapists through web-based technology.

Nutrition
There is strong indirect evidence that free radical production appears to be an important mechanism of brain injury after exposure to ischaemia and/or reperfusion. Body defences against free radicals depend on the balance between free radical generation and the antioxidant protective defence system. Many of these protective antioxidants are essential nutrients or have essential nutrients as part of their molecule that has to be obtained from diet.

A series of studies is planned to study the role of free radical formation in the pathogensis of ischaemic brain damage and the neuroprotective effect of antioxidants. Also a double-blind randomised controlled trial of energy, protein and micronutrients supplementation of elderly patients in active rehabilitation settings is under way.

For further information, please contact:

Dr Salah Gariballa,
Community Sciences Centre,
Northern General Hospital,
Herries Road,
Sheffield S7 5AU.

Tel: (0114) 271 5124
Tel: (01226) 730000 (x 2232)