Launch of new initiative to improve care for patients in North West London

A new partnership between hospitals, universities, voluntary organisations and industry in North West London to improve patient care has been launched today.

The North West London Health Innovation and Education Cluster (HIEC) aims to ensure that patients receive better treatment by promoting innovation, quality and efficiency through training and education of healthcare staff – it is hosted by Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

For the NHS to thrive it must learn from and apply best practice across all its organisations and the HIEC will work across North West London to achieve this aim. It will work to bring the benefits of the latest research to the widest possible patient groups, focusing initially on helping to transform care for patients with cancer and heart disease.

The North West London HIEC was launched at an event at the Foundling Museum on Tuesday 29 June with a keynote speech by Sir Muir Gray, NHS Chief Knowledge Officer.

Also announced at the launch was the appointment of an independent chair, Marcia Saunders.

She said: “I am looking forward to ensuring that the HIEC is focused on tackling the very real health inequalities there are in North West London and ensuring that we are looking to create new roles in all parts of the health and social care workforce.”

The North West London HIEC  is hosted by Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and includes national and international centres of clinical service and research excellence, including the world class university Imperial College London.

Heather Lawrence, Chief Executive of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: “A key test for our HIEC will be the success with which we introduce innovative new approaches to treatment across North West London including drugs, devices and technologies as well as service innovation and innovation in the delivery of education.”

Professor Charles Pusey, Director of Education at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Professor of Medicine at Imperial College London, said: “The North West London HIEC will play a critical role in fostering greater collaboration across the sector, and driving the widest possible diffusion and adoption of service innovation, linking with the other HIECs in London, and more widely as appropriate.

“Together we will deliver improved patient services through the development of the healthcare workforce, using innovative programmes of education and training.”

The 16 member organisations of the North West London HIEC are:

• Buckinghamshire New University
• Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
• Central London Community Healthcare
• Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Ealing Hospital NHS Trust
• GE Healthcare Ltd
• Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
• Imperial College London
• Macmillan Cancer Support
• NIHR CLAHRC for Northwest London
• North West London Hospitals NHS Trust
• Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust
• The Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust
• The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
• University of Hertfordshire
• West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust