Nottinghamshire Healthcare and The University of Nottingham, have won £17.4m in funding to establish a new research centre to help improve patient care across the region.
The Collaborative Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) in the East Midlands, one of only nine in the country, is a five year partnership between The University of Nottingham, progressive NHS organisations and both Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County Councils.
The CLAHRC will develop new approaches to healthcare research and enable more research to be carried out. It will also ensure that research is focused on patients' needs and that findings can be put into practice more quickly to improve the care that patients receive.
Research areas already identified include mental health, primary care, stroke rehabilitation and younger people. These are local and national healthcare priorities, as outlined in Lord Darzi's recently published NHS Next Stage Review 'High Quality Healthcare for All'.
There will be two further areas of research.
Research and education: evaluating current healthcare practices and performance, areas of innovation and their implementation and educational support.
Stakeholder engagement: listening to the views and experiences of patients and partner agencies to enhance the delivery of healthcare services.
Professor Nick Manning, Director of the Institute of Mental Health, said: “ This is a major investment into improving the lives of NHS patients through innovation and research led changes in healthcare practice. It is also a significant acknowledgement of the rapid progress we have made in the Institute of Mental Health, jointly established in 2006 by Nottinghamshire Healthcare and The University of Nottingham. It will be a solid platform on which we will be able to build further developments for the Trent region.”
Mike Cooke, Chief Executive of Nottinghamshire Healthcare and CLAHRC Executive Board Chair, said: "The announcement of this successful bid is excellent news. The development of a local CLAHRC will have a positive impact on patients by accelerating the translation of research evidence into practical service improvements, resulting in better care and patient experience within the NHS in the East Midlands. We are committed to working in partnership to ensure this important development for the region is a success."
Wendy Saviour, Chief Executive of Nottinghamshire County Teaching Primary Care Trust, said: “We're delighted that this successful bid will see extra funding for research focused on the County's health priorities. For patients this research will lead to developments in services and improved care and better outcomes. It's great news for Nottinghamshire".
The successful bid has been awarded by the National Institute for Health Research, which will provide half of the funding for the CLAHRC with the remaining half (matched funding) raised by the organisations involved.
Partners involved in the CLAHRC are:
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
Nottingham University Hospitals Trust
Nottinghamshire County Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT)
Nottingham City PCT
Bassetlaw PCT
Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust
Derby City PCT
NHS East Midlands
Nottingham County Council
Nottingham City Council
The University of Nottingham
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Notes to Editors: The University of Nottingham is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 70 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and Times Higher (THE) World University Rankings.
It provides innovative and top quality teaching, undertakes world-changing research, and attracts talented staff and students from 150 nations. Described by The Times as Britain's "only truly global university", it has invested continuously in award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia.
Twice since 2003 its research and teaching academics have won Nobel Prizes. The University has won the Queen's Award for Enterprise in both 2006 (International Trade) and 2007 (Innovation — School of Pharmacy).
Its students are much in demand from 'blue-chip' employers. Winners of Students in Free Enterprise for four years in succession, and current holder of UK Graduate of the Year, they are accomplished artists, scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, innovators and fundraisers. Nottingham graduates consistently excel in business, the media, the arts and sport. Undergraduate and postgraduate degree completion rates are amongst the highest in the United Kingdom.
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust is one of the largest mental health and learning disability providers in the UK. It provides a range of services in settings that vary from the community, through acute wards and residential units. The Trust also manages two medium secure units, Arnold Lodge in Leicester and Wathwood near Rotherham, as well as the high secure Rampton Hospital near Retford. The Trust employs over 6,000 staff at over 100 sites and its budget for 2007/08 is £278m.
Visit the website at www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk
3. The Institute of Mental Health is a unique partnership between the University of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, initiated in 2003 and launched in November 2006. The Institute brings together high calibre academic and clinical staff, healthcare users and carers who are experts by experience, professional knowledge and research. Visit the website www.institutemh.org.uk