A Cross-NIHR Collaboration (CNC) in Multiple Long-Term Conditions (MLTC) programme has been established to bring together NIHR translational, applied and policy research infrastructure to respond to the NIHR Strategic Framework for MLTC Research, and work together to tackle the MLTC research questions that could not be achieved without this cross-disciplinary collaborative endeavour.
The collaboration will be inclusive of all parts of NIHR, to maximise the use of existing resources, leverage additional funding, attract commercial and non-commercial partners and collaborators, and build research capability, capacity and leadership in MLTC research.
Research into Multiple Long-Term Conditions (MLTC) is a strategic priority for the NIHR.
The £1.95 million NIHR MLTC CNC programme is led by Professor Avan Aihie Sayer, William Leech Professor of Geriatric Medicine at Newcastle University; Director of NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre and by Professor Kamlesh Khunti CBE, Professor of Primary Care Diabetes and Vascular Medicine at University of Leicester; Director of NIHR ARC East Midlands.
The Operational Management Group has responsibility for the day to day running of the programme:
MLTC CNC Steering Group meeting, November 2025, Newcastle upon Tyne
The MLTC CNC programme has established teams in 4 key areas of MLTC research:
In addition to these research areas, the MLTC CNC has a major focus on research capacity development and facilitating industry collaborations. There is also interest in exploring how best to support research on quality of life in MLTC.
The Interventions and Prevention Workstream is led by Professor Sally Singh, University of Leicester and Professor Miles Witham, Newcastle University.
The workstream comprises a collaborative network of health research experts dedicated to preventing multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs) and improving the quality of life for people living with MLTC. By uniting diverse disciplines, perspectives, and stakeholders, they generate evidence-based solutions that influence policy, transform care, and drive systemic change to meet the needs of people affected by MLTCs throughout the life course.
Community of Practice Conference: Developing interventions to prevent and treat Multiple Long-term Conditions: delivering for patients, practice and policy
We’re pleased to announce the MLTC CNC Interventions and Prevention workstream’s face to face Community of Practice conference will be taking place on Tuesday 9 June in Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Urban Sciences Building, 1 Science Square, Newcastle Helix, NE4 5TG).
Following our two successful online webinars, the topic for this in person conference will be Developing interventions to prevent and treat Multiple Long-term Conditions: delivering for patients, practice and policy. The conference will bring together colleagues with an interest in the development of interventions to prevent and treat MLTC to enable networking and collaborating.
We are keen for early-career researcher (ECR) colleagues to attend and with this in mind, we have planned an ECR networking breakfast at the start of the day giving the opportunity to network and learn from senior colleagues in MLTC research.
Please complete the expression of interest form to attend. Attendance is free but we will be allocating places on a first-come first-served basis
We are also accepting abstracts please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further information and a submission form. Abstracts must be received by 30th April 2026.
The workstream will identify opportunities for large-scale collaborative intervention projects around the translational circle to prevent or treat the causes and consequences of MLTC, develop appropriate funding bids, and drive the delivery of successful projects across multiple areas of NIHR infrastructure.
The team brings together 15 academics from across the UK, representing NIHR infrastructures including Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs), Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs), Research Schools and the Research Delivery Network (RDN), as well as large NIHR-funded MLTC research programmes. Members span all career stages and disciplines, with expertise in clinical medicine across primary and secondary care, public health, statistics, clinical trials, data science and health economics. The group shares a commitment to research inclusion and public involvement, supported by two public members who ensure that patient and community perspectives inform all aspects of the work.
Title: Developing a strength-based training intervention for people living with MLTC
Funder: NIHR Academy (Team Science Award)
PI: Professor Miles Witham, Newcastle University
Project Summary: This award will lay the groundwork for a large-scale funding bid to evaluate strength-based training intervention for people living with MLTC at risk of functional impairment. Specific preliminary work to develop the major funding bid will include updating existing systematic reviews in this area, national surveys to establish current practice, intervention co-design and trial co-design with public contributors.
PPIE: The steering group for this work includes public members of the workstream, and the intervention and trial will be co-designed by a small core group of people with lived experience of MLTC, with wider consultation with a diverse set of public contributors.
Title: Exploring the association between physical activity interventions and development of multiple long-term conditions in younger people with mental health conditions
Funder: Multiple Long-Term Conditions (MLTC) Cross-NIHR Collaboration (CNC)
PI: Professor James Sheppard, University of Oxford
Project Summary: This study will use systematic review methods to examine existing evidence on physical activity as an intervention to reduce risk factors for MLTC in patients with anxiety and depression and detailed public and patient engagement to explore the acceptability of these interventions in this population.
PPIE: The team are working with panels of younger people living with mental health conditions drawn from different communities to identify what physical activity interventions will be potentially acceptable to the participants in future studies and ultimately in routine clinical practice.
Community of Practice Webinar, 30th October 2025: “The challenges of moving the evidence base forwards in MLTC research” with Professor Laura Gray (University of Leicester) and Dr Peter Hanlon (University of Glasgow).
Recording of MLTC CNC Interventions & Prevention Community of Practice webinar hosted online on 29 January 2026.
This workstream aims to identify the key challenges around research methodologies (including data science, recruitment, and analysis methods) to treat and prevent MLTC or the consequences of MLTC which require a collaborative approach to overcome and accelerate research for the benefit of patients.
It is led by Professor Colin McCowan, University of St. Andrews and Associate Professor Hajira Dambha-Miller, University of Southampton.
The overarching focus of the workstream is to identify the key challenges around research methodologies to treat and prevent MLTC, or the consequences of MLTC, which require a collaborative approach to overcome.
the workstream has four strategic subgroups that are focused on developing knowledge and future research in methodological hot-topics:1. Clustering2. Outcome3. Trajectories4. Trials
The methodologies workstream has 17 members including two public members and regularly engages with two workstream affiliate members. The group represent 14 institutions from across the UK and comprises the full spectrum of career levels, from PhD students and early career researchers to professors.
The workstream members have a shared interest in the methodological approach of MLTC and come from a range of professional backgrounds including allied health professionals, clinical trialists, epidemiologists, geriatricians, GPs, health economists, methodologist, public health professionals, social care professionals, data scientists and statisticians.
The workstream embraces a flat structure, inspiring personal growth and development. Previous workstream initiatives have been led by various members to ensure work is spread out but everyone gets a chance to lead and develop.
Title: Are artificial intelligence (AI) enabled diagnostic tools for mental health widening health inequalities for people with MLTC: A mixed-methods study from the Methodologies Workstream.Funder: MLTC Cross-NIHR Collaboration PI: Dr Jana Suklan, Newcastle University, Dr Salwa Zghebi, University of Manchester and Associate Prof Hajira Dhamba-Miller, University of SouthamptonProject Summary: To understand if AI-enabled mental illness diagnostic tools are widening health inequalities in people with MLTC.
The workstream has planned and promoted a series of MLTC Insights Webinars for patients, public contributors and researchers titled Exploring the background, methods and patient reported outcomes that shape MLTC research:• Webinar 1: Exploring the background to MLTCs – 23rd April 2025 • Webinar 2: Research Methods in MLTC – 4 June 2025
This workstream will identify opportunities for large-scale collaborative projects to develop and evaluate ways of delivering health and care services, at health/care sector level or population level (closely aligned with policy and practice), to ensure the best possible outcomes for people with MLTC, leverage new grant funding, implemented through collaborative working across NIHR infrastructure.
This workstream is led by Professor Andrew Clegg, University of Leeds and Associate Professor Rachel Johnson, University of Bristol.
The overarching focus of the workstream is to identify opportunities for large-scale collaborative projects to develop and evaluate ways of delivering health and care services, at health/care sector level or population level (closely aligned with policy and practice). This is to ensure the best possible outcomes for people with MLTC, leverage new grant funding, implemented through collaborative working across NIHR infrastructure with the specific aims of:
The models of care workstream has 20 members, including the two co-leads and two public representatives. The group represent 13 institutions from across the UK and comprises the full spectrum of career levels, from PhD students and Early Career Researchers to Professors.
The workstream includes a range of disciplines including Allied Health Professionals, Dentists, Epidemiologists, General Practitioners, Geriatricians, Health Economists, Health Services Researchers, Nurses, Palliative Medicine, Pharmacists, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Public Health Researchers, Social Care Researchers and Statisticians.
The workstream embraces an inclusive flat structure, allowing professional development while also allowing people to share their personal insights. This was exemplified during a Lego Serious Play workshop where people share their own experience or their experience as a carer of someone with MLTC.
Andy Clegg was involved in the ‘Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis (IPDMA) for MLTC’ webinar alongside, Tom Crocker (Associate Prof in Stroke Care, University of Leeds), Peter Hanlon ( MLTC CNC Interventions and Preventions Workstream, Clinical Senior Research Fellow, University of Glasgow) – 05 Nov 25
The cross-cutting Health Inequalities Group is led by Professor Liddy Goyder (University of Sheffield) and Professor Rachel Cooper (Newcastle University).
There are stark inequalities in MLTC across the life course which are exacerbating major inequities in healthy life expectancy across the UK. However, as outlined in an NIHR evidence review of research on inequalities in MLTC, some drivers of inequality have received more attention than others and evidence on the intersection between different drivers of inequality and underlying mechanisms is scarce.
The role of the Health Inequalities Group is to coordinate efforts required to develop and deliver research that will identify how we can effectively tackle inequalities in MLTC.
The Health Inequalities Group comprises 17 academic members from all career stages i.e. PhD students to Professors, working across the UK. Group members represent many different NIHR structures and research programmes including Biomedical Research Centres, Applied Research Collaborations, Research Schools and the Research Support Service.The group have a shared interest in addressing inequalities in MLTC and contribute their diversity of expertise in disciplines including social science, health economics, epidemiology, data science, psychology, public health and medicine (including primary care, psychiatry and geriatrics). The group has a wealth of experience in quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods that is being harnessed to address key research challenges and also benefits from a commitment to public involvement and research inclusion, supported by academic leads in these areas.
Two public representatives will join the group by early 2026.
The Health Inequalities Group met in-person for the first time in January 2026.
The MLTC CNC is committed to embedding Public and Patient Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) across all its activities, ensuring our work reflects the real experiences, needs, and priorities of patients and the public.
A key evidence gap identified in the NIHR Strategic Framework for MLTC Research is understanding “the problems and outcomes that matter most to patients and carers, and how they would like services designed to meet their needs.” Addressing this is a core priority for the MLTC CNC and public involvement is central to our approach.
Alongside public members on the MLTC CNC national Steering Group, each workstream includes two public members who work alongside academic colleagues and Academic PPIE Leads to champion PPIE and ensure our outputs are relevant, inclusive, and impactful.
The MLTC CNC is funded by the NIHR which is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion in everything it does. Its 2022-2027 Research Inclusion strategy seeks to ensure it collaboratively implements inclusive practice in its research, culture and systems. As a new type of research infrastructure collaboration funded by NIHR, the MLTC CNC is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion in line with the five NIHR Research Inclusion strategy themes. Our Academic Research Inclusion Leads champion inclusion principles within the workstreams and groups and ensure it is at the heart of all of our activity.
For further information about the NIHR MLTC CNC Programme and to find out how to work with us, please contact us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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