Our impact stories
The NIHR's mission is to improve the health and wealth of the nation.
Funded by the Department of Health and Social Care, we invest over £1 billion a year in research that provides people working in the front lines of the NHS, public health and social care with the evidence they need to better support patients, service users and the public.
Read about how our work is influencing care, and making a positive difference to people, and the economy.
These are the stories of our research
Pregnant women are not at greater risk of severe illness with COVID-19
Results from a large study on the outcomes of 427 pregnant women and their babies during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic gave reassurance that pregnant women were at no greater risk of severe illness than other women.
POWeR+ programme motivates people to engage with online weight management
NIHR-funded researchers show that an internet-based weight-loss programme with brief support from a nurse can help people with obesity lose weight.
New haemoglobin test helps prevent anaemia in blood donors
A new approach to pre-donation screening was introduced across the whole national blood service as a result of NIHR research, saving around 30,000 people from avoidable anaemia and potential iron deficiency every year.
A community-centred approach to reduce stigma related to skin diseases
NIHR-funded researchers are working with communities on three continents to improve the patient journey and reduce stigma for people with cutaneous leishmaniasis.
Implementing improved maternity care on the front line
Midwife-led models of continuity of care improve outcomes for pregnant women. Working with hospital trusts, managers and frontline staff has enabled the development of a new care pathway and guidelines to implement it in a sustainable way.
Fighting diabetes with information
An online diabetes education tool has been shown to help patients control blood sugar levels and is now being considered for roll out across the country by NHS England.
Smart glasses for vision loss
NIHR-funded research has developed ‘smart glasses’ that have been developed to improve sight using real-time image enhancement software.
Hope for children with rare neurodegenerative disorder
A treatment for children with a rare form of childhood dementia has made a dramatic difference to their outcomes. The UK arm of the drug trial took place at the NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre where today 19 patients receive regular therapy.
Preventing falls in the over 65s
Exercise programmes reduce falls among the over 65s by almost a quarter.
Putting public engagement at the heart of research
Public engagement from the outset of research helped NIHR researchers develop a website to explain complex and sensitive children’s heart surgery data to the public. The lessons learned led to a best practice guide for researchers involving patients and the public in research.