Research teams from Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LUHFT), The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust (CCC) and Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (LHCH) are collaborating to provide services and facilitate clinical research as part of the NIHR Clinical Research Facility across all three sites.
The collaboration brings together specialist knowledge and skills, as well as cutting-edge facilities and equipment to enable professionals to carry out important research.
There are currently a number of studies happening between the three organisations in areas such as cancer and cardiovascular research.
Included in the collaboration is the introduction of the Liverpool CRF Biobank, hosted by CCC. This is a centralised location which stores samples such as tissue, blood, urine and other biological samples from patients at all three sites.
Dr Richard Fitzgerald, Director of the NIHR Liverpool Clinical Research Facility and a Consultant Physician, said: “Collaboration is key to enabling us to continue to deliver high quality research both at the Liverpool Clinical Research Facility and the wider region.
“Working with teams at all three sites will enable us as medical professionals to pool together our expertise and explore research opportunities that will benefit patient care and improve health outcomes.
“The introduction of the Liverpool CRF Biobank is something we are really excited about and will allow us to capture data quickly, ensuring processes are efficient and we are able to make the most of the time patients and participants spend on the unit.”
Dr Gillian Heap, Director of Research and Innovation Operations at Clatterbridge, said: “The CRF brings together clinicians from leading NHS research centres to pool their knowledge, expertise and experience to improve outcomes for our patients and push forward the boundaries of medical knowledge.
“Collaborating with our NHS colleagues across Liverpool also brings benefits to our workforces and the research ecosystem in the city region.”
Jenny Crooks, Director of Research Operations at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, said: “The NIHR Liverpool Clinical Research Facility (LCRF) collaboration is an opportunity to bring cutting edge research and novel interventions to the patients and public of the Liverpool city region and beyond, Providing equity of access to specialist interventions regardless of location.
“We are excited to be a part of this collaboration, as we are able to offer our patients with persistent health issues such as heart failure new treatments that aim to improve their outcomes.”
To find out more about NIHR Liverpool Clinical Research Facility, click here.