How Manchester Met is supporting healthier, happier and longer lives
23.04.2024 - 09:01
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
It’s almost 76 years since the NHS began, bringing vital healthcare to millions around the UK and Greater Manchester.
It has come a long way since those early days, now providing a vast array of care, support and science to those in need.
While the healthcare obstacles of 1948 may be vastly different from today, there are still many challenges, from an ageing society to providing the pipeline of healthcare professionals to training the reproductive scientists that help bring new life into the world.
At Manchester Metropolitan University – which is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year – it remains a central part of the health ecosystem in the region, partnering with the NHS, local government, charities and other healthcare providers to make a difference.
Here we take a look at how the University’s research and training is helping people in Greater Manchester to live happier, healthier and longer lives.
The number of people in the UK aged 65 or over will increase by 35% from 12.5m in 2020 to 15.9m in 2040, according to the Office for National Statistics.
It’s a pressing issue that poses questions for Greater Manchester: how can we keep muscles stronger? How can we keep obesity levels low? How can we avoid falls? Falls alone cost the NHS £2.3 billion a year.
With that in mind, Manchester Met has taken up the mantle, tackling the challenges in key areas including mobility, social connection, dementia, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases, as well as chronic fatigue.
The goal is to help people to live better whatever their age and stay out of the health system by working with clinicians, patients, and the public to ensure that research is relevant and useful to the world around us.
For example, research into how