Primary care research in north west London gets £630k funding boost

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). 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.

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. Dr Wingfield says “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.”

Full press release: https://www.imperial.nhs.uk/about-us/news/primary-care-research-in-nwl-to-benefit-from-a-630k-boost