Primary care research in north west London gets £630k boost through latest NIHR strategic funding
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust’s primary care research partners in north west London will soon benefit from an additional £630k of funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in their latest strategic funding round, with £80k also awarded seprately to a project that will build on work to improve public and patient engagement for sickle cell disease.
Boosting primary care research capabilities and capacity
The funding for primary care will be used to further integrate research into primary care and increase capacity for research in the community through new primary care research units.
This means that more people in our local communities will be able to take part in research that improves lives and the NHS. Providing opportunities to take part in research through GP surgeries allows people to get involved more easily, closer to their home and contributes to wider NHS national priorities to expand access to research.
Primary care research units will deliver research at scale, with dedicated research teams, state-of-the art equipment, and a centralised system for inviting north London’s diverse population to participate in studies. This will allow more people to get the opportunity to take part in research closer to their home.
The money will mainly fund research staff and boost the research capability and capacity of our partner GP surgeries in Hammersmith & Fulham, Hounslow and Westminster, as well as improving opportunities for primary care staff to develop their careers in research. It is hoped this increased capacity and access to research through primary care can also attract commercial investment from life sciences companies.
Additional investment from NIHR Imperial and University College London Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs), alongside support from the NIHR North London Regional Research Delivery Network (RRDN), will also allow some of the primary care research units to more efficiently roll-out clinical studies of new medicines, vaccines and medtech innovations.
Bringing research to patients
Dr David Wingfield was recently appointed to lead primary care research at the NIHR Imperial BRC. He oversees these primary care research units, which are, essentially networks of GP surgeries led by a host surgery to support early-stage experimental medicine and public health research. Through partnerships with acute NHS trusts, academia and industry, they are providing the infrastructure needed for bringing opportunities to participate in research, as well as the impact from its findings, to patients in the community.
He said: “I have worked in research for many years but now that the RRDN and Imperial BRC are investing in the infrastructure required, I see an acceleration in our ability to run commercial and academic studies which will improve patient care over time.
“For many people, their family GP is the main route by which they have contact with the NHS. By bringing research into the GP surgery, we can work with our communities to ensure research studies answer the most pressing questions and lead to evidence that has the potential to really improve health and wellbeing. If we want research and evidence to really represent society, we must bring it into communities through primary care.
“My own focus is on how to introduce new technology to diagnose dementia earlier and to care for people more effectively later in their condition. The support from the RRDN and BRC are crucial to this kind of work too.”
Further funding for overcoming stigma associated with sickle cell disease
The Trust has separately received almost £80,000 of NIHR funding as part of this latest strategic funding announcement to build on work to improve public and patient engagement for sickle cell disease.
About 6,000 people have sickle cell disease (SCD) in north London. The disease causes painful episodes which sometimes need blood transfusions before symptoms stop. It is most common in African and Caribbean communities.
Imperial College Healthcare has a strong track record of public engagement events related to sickle cell disease. A recent NIHR-sponsored event at Chelsea Football Club focused on research into the condition.
Dr Steven Okoli, consultant haematologist at Imperial College Healthcare, who co-led the successful bid, said: “Treatment options are very limited for sickle cell, and patients still face substantial stigma in their communities, which is usually based in myth.
“There is an urgent need for more research, but research will only be of use if people want to get involved in it. This funding will help us engage the public and take research to where people are out in their communities, busting the myths and helping to reduce the stigma.”
Reggie Pestininkas, Strategic Development Director for North London RRDN, said: “It is great to see all the different ways in which this money will be used to benefit patients and the public.
“These projects will help bring research into everyday settings and make it more relevant and accessible to people across our communities.”
