13 October 2022

North West London Clinical Trials Alliance shortlisted for national award

 

The North West London Clinical Trials Alliance has been shortlisted for the New Statesman’s inaugural Positive Impact Awards, in recognition of its contribution to healthcare research.

The alliance aims to improve access to and the quality of research in the region and has been shortlisted for the Positive Impact in Healthcare Award. It is made up of clinical research facilities (CRFs), primary care networks (PCNs) and the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) in north west London, including the CRFs at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust. Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust and London Ambulance Service have also recently joined the Alliance.

The winners will be selected by a panel of judges, including the New Statesman’s political editor, and will take place on 6 December.

The alliance partners first came together in response to Covid-19, using their collective research expertise and resources to meet the research need and ultimately ensure that evidence could inform national guidelines and policy more quickly.

The approach worked so well that the teams formalised the arrangement, forming the North West London Clinical Trials Alliance. The scope was also widened beyond Covid-19 to disease generally, across both industry and publicly funded research.

The Alliance is just about to start a clinical trial in sickle cell disease across two hospitals in north west London, which was made possible thanks to close working with the life sciences industry. There are a high number of people with this disease in the region and the team hopes it will ultimately give patients a wider choice of safe and effective treatments, which is important given there have only been three main treatment options in the past 50 years.

Dr Suki Balendra, who leads the North West London Clinical Trials Alliance and is also life sciences lead at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said: "This nomination is recognition of the power of collaboration, in this case between NHS trusts, universities, primary care services and industry. By bringing together our collective research expertise and resources, we’re much greater than the sum of our parts and can bring the latest innovations to patients more quickly.

“I couldn't be prouder of what our alliance has achieved in such a short time and am incredibly excited about the difference we can make to patients in north west London and across the world."