Bringing the MLTC research community together in Newcastle

The AGE Research Group played a key role in delivering the first UK Community of Practice conference on interventions and prevention for Multiple Long-term Conditions (MLTC), held in Newcastle on June 9th 2026.

 The conference, hosted by the MLTC cross-NIHR collaboration (CNC) Interventions and Prevention workstream, brought together over 100 researchers from across the UK. The MLTC CNC is a novel NIHR initiative co-led by Professor Avan Sayer from the NIHR Newcastle BRC and Professor Kamlesh Khunti from the NIHR East Midlands ARC. The conference theme was very much in keeping with the mission of the CNC, with a focus on developing and evaluating interventions to prevent and treat MLTC across the lifecourse.

 Delegates started the day with a networking breakfast for early-career researchers (with bingo cards to facilitate conversations!) before moving on to a varied agenda of keynote talks, posters, short presentations and a panel discussion. Keynote speakers included Professor Frances Mair (Glasgow), Professor Colin Greaves (Birmingham) and Professor Andrew Farmer (Oxford). Topics included how to develop interventions, what evidence we need to evaluate interventions, and examples of how different disciplines from epidemiology and qualitative research through to psychology and health economic are needed for successful research in this complex area. Prizes were awarded for the best short oral presentation, best poster, and two poster runners-up

 AGE group co-lead and MLTC CNC workstream lead Professor Miles Witham co-led the day, with many other AGE Group members either helping with the organisation of the day or presenting work from the group, including Dr Sue Bellass giving a short oral presentation on qualitative work from the ADMISSION Collaborative. AGE Group member and CNC events manager Gayle Cain was instrumental in pulling the whole day together and ensuring another smoothly run event on the day, with excellent preparatory support from Ellie Lockhart, AGE group member and CNC collaborations programme manager.

 Professor Witham said “We were delighted to host this conference here in Newcastle as part of our leadership role within the MLTC CNC, and the popularity of the event really speaks to the desire within the UK MLTC research community for more of these events. I was delighted with the number of early-career colleagues who attended – this is so important for the health of our research community in future and building this research capacity is a key part of what we do within the AGE group, the NIHR Newcastle BRC, and the wider MLTC CNC.”