A health research partnership involving the University of Gloucestershire has secured £9 million of funding.

The money will support research over the next five years, that will benefit health and wellbeing across the west country.

It will enable development of new research projects with the University of Gloucestershire and their health service partners, to tackle the area's most pressing health issues.

Research projects will include forecasting demand in hospitals, increasing people's physical activity, improving outcomes for children in care and supporting those who self-harm.

In recent years the University of Gloucestershire has achieved major expansion in its health programmes to meet health service needs in the county and beyond.

Popular degrees in adult nursing, mental health nursing, nursing associate and paramedic science are almost full for the 2019/2020 academic year, with additional new courses in physiotherapy starting in September.

As the county's leading provider of nursing and allied health programmes, the University is also building an increasing role in health research with partners in the region.

The funding, awarded by the National Institute for Health Research, aims to develop better health and care through research addressing the pressing issues facing the health and social care system.

The money is part of a larger £135 million award over five years to 15 pioneering research teams across the country, known as NIHR Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs).

Lorraine Dixon, Head of School of Health and Social Care at the University of Gloucestershire said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to engage staff and students within the University of Gloucestershire to collaborate with colleagues across the South West and our local health and care providers, to drive forward research and innovation and improve the health and well-being of people in our community.

"Gloucestershire is pioneering some important developments in integrated health care, and being able to access ARC support for the first time in the county will boost our ability to work with our network of health research partners in applying the latest research findings and evaluation to improve patient outcomes and health and care service practice."

Professor Chris Whitty, NIHR Lead and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care, said: "The unique local collective approach at each NIHR Applied Research Collaboration will support applied health and care research that, responds to and meets the needs of, local patients and local health and care systems."