NHS Highland to lead £6m rural health research drive under SEISMIC SHIFT programme

NHS Highland is set to play a leading role in a major UK health research initiative aimed at transforming how care is delivered to people living with multiple long-term conditions in rural and remote areas

The programme, known as the SEISMIC SHIFT initiative (Systemic Health Innovation Future Transformation), has secured a share of £6 million in renewed funding to develop and test new models of care over the next five years.

Led by the University of Strathclyde in partnership with NHS Highland, SEISMIC SHIFT also brings together NHS Lanarkshire, NHS 24 and a wider UK research network.

The funding forms part of a wider £17.9 million investment supported by UK Research and Innovation, including the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

A systems approach to long-term conditions

The SEISMIC SHIFT programme focuses on redesigning care around how patients actually experience illness, rather than treating conditions in isolation. This means shifting towards a “whole person” and symptom-based approach, particularly for people managing multiple long-term conditions.

Across NHS Highland’s large and geographically dispersed region, the programme will test whether systems-thinking methods can help services become more joined up. The aim is to improve coordination between primary care, hospitals, community services, and third sector partners, reducing fragmentation in patient pathways.

Using rural geography as a testbed for innovation

Covering an area larger than Belgium, NHS Highland faces unique pressures, including an ageing population, workforce shortages, and the challenges of delivering consistent care across remote communities from Caithness to Skye and Lochaber to Easter Ross.

Rather than viewing geography as a limitation, the programme will use the Highlands as a testing ground for new approaches that could be scaled across Scotland and other rural health systems. Researchers and clinicians will explore how digital tools, data sharing, and redesigned financial and operational systems can better support symptom-led care.

Building integrated models of care

A key focus of the Highland work will be developing more connected care pathways that bring together clinicians, allied health professionals, community teams, and hospital services into a single, coordinated system. This includes exploring how patients presenting with symptoms such as breathlessness can be better supported through earlier intervention and improved coordination across services.

One planned outcome is the development of a rural breathlessness pathway tailored specifically to remote communities, alongside broader work to reduce avoidable emergency admissions through improved long-term symptom management.

Training and lasting workforce change

An important part of SEISMIC SHIFT is building long-term capability within NHS Highland. Staff across clinical, managerial, digital, and strategic roles will be trained in systems-thinking approaches and engineering-based design methods developed with the University of Strathclyde.

The intention is for this expertise to remain embedded in the organisation beyond the programme’s life, enabling continued innovation in service design and delivery across the region.

National relevance with local impact

Although tailored to the Highlands, the programme is expected to generate insights relevant across the UK. Comparisons with more urban-focused partners, such as NHS Lanarkshire, will help identify how different models of care can be adapted to local contexts while maintaining consistent standards.

The SEISMIC SHIFT extension will run until 2030 and is aligned with wider Scottish health policy, including population health improvement strategies and long-term NHS service planning for rural areas.