£22 million to improve healthcare through research across North West London

The Department of Health has announced today that the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) will provide £10 million to fund the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) for North West London to translate research from the lab bench to the hospital bedside over the next five years. Trusts, universities, charities and industry partners across the North West London sector will contribute a further £12 million in matched funding.

Professor Derek Bell, Director of NIHR CLAHRC for North West London and Professor of Acute Medicine at Imperial College London, said “This is very exciting news and we are delighted that the Department of Health continues to put research high on the healthcare agenda.  We have been working hard to improve care through research for the past five years across North West London and this will help us do even more, together. 

“Thanks to this investment NIHR CLAHRC for North West London can continue to support patients, staff, and academics to improve healthcare.  We will focus on improving care for people in their early years including those with sickle cell disease or with allergies, for those with symptoms of breathlessness from heart failure or airways diseases, and for those who are frail.  We will also offer professional fellowships to help these organisations to deliver their improvement priorities. All of this will translate into a better health service for the communities we serve.” 

Tony Bell, Chief Executive at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The health services that future generations will see will be very different to what we now experience. That is the true gift of research. Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is absolutely committed to supporting research as we know this will result in new treatments and better care for our patients. This commitment is demonstrated by our work with CLAHRC and other research organisations, including our involvement as a member of Imperial College Health Partners. We will continue to work with primary and community care on research and service delivery to make sure we provide the right care, in the right setting, without boundaries.”

Achievements by NIHR CLAHRC for North West London have included: 

• My Medications Passport: developed by patients for patients at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust to empower them to keep track of medicines and medicine changes.  Ten thousand paper copies have been ordered by over 70 healthcare organisations in England and Scotland since mid April.  An app version has been downloaded over 1,078 times across 28 countries.  This work will contribute to the ‘frailty’ theme.
• Discharge Care Bundle for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: this way of ensuring five evidence based care elements have been given at discharge from hospital was developed at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital.  It has reduced lengths of stay, saved money and is being championed by the British Thoracic Society for use across the UK.  This work will contribute to the ‘breathlessness’ theme.
• Itchy Sneezy Wheezy: training programmes have resulted in reduced emergency attendances for children with allergies, and for better care closer to home.  Developed across the Inner North West London area in partnership between Imperial College, healthcare and third sector organisations, this is now being rolled out across the rest of North West London.  A new online resource centre www.itchysneezywheezy.co.uk has been accessed by over 2,800 visitors.  This work will contribute to the ‘early years’ theme.