The Health Services Research Unit (HSRU) was established in 1991 as a partnership between the Division of Public Health and Primary Health Care in the University of Oxford and the Oxford Regional Health Authority, on funding provided by the Regional Health Authority. The successful establishment and continued development of the HSRU is in large part due to the generous support we have received from our funders, in particular the Department of Health National Co-ordinating Centre for Research Capacity Development.

The unit was originally based in the Harkness Building of the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford, opposite to the main University Department. It moved within the Radcliffe Infirmary in 1994 and then in 1997 to its present location at the Old Road Campus (formerly the Institute of Health Sciences) of the University Medical School in Headington, Oxford.

The aim of the Oxford Health Services Research Unit is to support a programme of research which enables the development of an effective Health Service, one which delivers the best possible health for the greatest number of people. There are two closely related strands to this work:

• The first is to undertake research which is of priority to the UK National Health Service. This part of the Unit's activity is achieved primarily through the award of project grants from the NHS and from other organisations which support health services research, but postgraduate students and health professionals employed by the NHS also make an important contribution.
• The second strand of work increases research capacity locally. This is achieved by offering research advice and support, by training and mentoring health professionals who want to develop research skills, experience and qualifications and by collaborating with clinicians on intervention studies.

We run an associate membership scheme which has enabled several clinicians to develop proposals for long term research support and training. The unit plays an important role in the development and testing of health outcome measures in the UK. This enables the rigorous evaluation of health service interventions. We also support research at national level by contributing to steering groups for research projects based in other UK universities, and to NHS and Department of Health research committees.