Get involved in making a change to help build a healthier future and improved local services for RCT residents.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Health Determinants Research Collaboration (RCT HDRC), funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), is inviting everyone who, lives, studies, works or plays in the County Borough to be part of making a change to improve health outcomes in RCT!
Join the RCT HDRC team at the BIG WELSH BITE on Saturday 2nd August and Sunday 3rd August 2025, from 11am to 5pm, to find out more.
Health determinants are non-medical factors that influence our health. These can be physical, mental, emotional, social and environmental. They include how polluted the air is in your street, the quality of your housing, transport, how good the schools are and whether you have a job.
The Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) which is co-led by the Council and Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP), brings together partners from Cardiff University, Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board, Interlink RCT and Public Health Wales to look at how the lived experience of residents, alongside research and evidence can help build a healthier future for all and improve local services.
Zoë Lancelott - Head of Rhondda Cynon Taf Health Determinants Research Collaboration said:
“As a Council we play a fundamental role in shaping the conditions in which people are born, (grow), live, study, work and play, and health determinants have a big impact on people’s health
“In December 2023 we were successful in our bid to become the first Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) in Wales and the collaboration was awarded £5M from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to embed research activity in the Council to reduce health inequalities and help ‘make a change’ to the lives of people who live, study, work and play in the County Borough.
“We have been working hard behind the scenes to build a strong team to support the Council in this work, and we are now in a position to start talking to the public about what matters to them. We will combine this ‘lived experience’ with research and evidence from other sources to help the Council to make decisions about the services it provides to improve the life chances of those who live, study, work and play in the County Borough.”
As part of this phase of the project, the HDRC team has launched a website that aims to inform, engage and help everyone to get involved.
The new website has been aptly named: https://MakeAChange.rctcbc.gov.uk.
The website allows you to find out more, take courses and workshops, respond to surveys, take a quiz and get directly involved to help to ‘Make a Change’ for you and the future generations of RCT.
Councillor Bob Harris, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Communities, said:
“Everyone should have the opportunity to live a healthy life, no matter who they are or where they live.
“By focusing on the wider determinants of health such as employment, housing, education and the physical environment, the local communities that we support have a tremendous opportunity to make a lasting impact on reducing health inequalities and wider deprivation.
“The communities of Rhondda Cynon Taf face some of the highest levels of deprivation, which in turn increases health inequality and reduces life-expectancy. It is hoped that through this collaboration we can help improve the future of current and future generations.”
WCPP Director Professor Dan Bristow added:
“This is an exciting stage of the journey to create a vibrant research culture that underpins evidence-based decision-making in RCT.
“The HDRC will support the Council to gather research, evidence and resident voice, use it to inform decision-making and communicate findings to others. Local authorities have a key role to play in shaping the conditions in which people live, study, work and play and the collaboration aims to help improve the impact of the services that are delivered and ultimately the health and wellbeing of RCT residents.
For more information, pop along and meet the team at the BIG WELSH BITE, which will return to Ynysangharad War Memorial Park, Pontypridd on Saturday 2nd August and Sunday 3rd August 2025, from 11am to 5pm, or search for ‘Make A Change RCT’ or visit https://MakeAChange.rctcbc.gov.uk.
Posted on 31/07/2025