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SysteMatic

Prevention, precision and equity by design for people living with multiple long-term conditions.

SysteMatic brings together researchers from the Universities of Liverpool and Glasgow to develop a plan to design and engineer health systems for people living with multiple long-term conditions (MLTC).

This work is supported by funding from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Systems Engineering Innovation hubs for Multiple long-term Conditions (SEISMIC) scheme.

Growing impact of multiple long-term health conditions

In the UK, approximately one in three people experience the challenges of living with multiple long-term health conditions, and this figure continues to rise. It is projected that by 2035, over two-thirds of the UK's population aged 65 and above will be affected.

Living with MLTC significantly impacts a person’s quality of life, leading to increased care requirements and a higher risk of early death.  MLTC affects people across all communities, but those facing socioeconomic disadvantages are affected 10 to 15 years earlier. 

Liverpool and Glasgow both have disadvantaged communities with high levels of MLTC, challenging our NHS and wider health and care systems.

Aims and objectives

SysteMatic will lay the groundwork for a full-scale project to improve care for people with MLTC.

We will bring together people with lived or caring experience of MLTC, public advisors, researchers, care professionals, scientists, engineers, and analysts with GP, hospital, social care and other health-related data.

Together, we will identify, prioritise and co-design a programme of work focused on key challenges to health and care systems. We will collaborate with others where our shared aims align, and concentrate on three groups that Liverpool and Glasgow already have initiatives in front-line services to build on:

  1. Children and families facing stressful circumstances and environmental challenges that could lead to health issues such as child mental health problems, obesity and asthma
  2. People in working life who use mental, physical or social care services, especially where there is poorly joined-up care
  3. Older people with MLTC who are not yet defined as frail, where preventative measures could improve outcomes.

This programme will develop new ideas for technologies, service changes and pathways across services to improve person-centred care equitably.

Get involved

We are actively seeking patient and carer representatives to take part in interviews, focus groups and workshops to tell us more about their experience of living with multiple long-term conditions and provide feedback on current systems and how these could be improved.

We care deeply about co-developing recommendations to ensure that they are patient centred. For further information about getting involved please email us at seismicstudy@liverpool.ac.uk.