Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) South London
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) South London pools the clinical and research expertise of both the NHS and universities in south London. It brings together King’s Health Partners (a partnership between King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts), with St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and St George’s, University of London as joint leaders of the CLAHRC.
The Department of Health awarded £9 million to fund the CLAHRC South London in August 2013. The CLAHRC will also receive £9 million of matched funding from the local partners taking the total to £18 million over five years.
The CLAHRC will work to make sure that patients benefit from innovative new treatments and techniques that could revolutionise future health care. Researchers will work together to investigate new methods to prevent and treat chronic diseases such as stroke, and tackle public health issues including reducing alcohol-related harm. In south London up to 30 per cent of acute medical admissions and 50 per cent of mental health admissions are alcohol related.
The CLAHRC will also establish education programmes, and a new Centre for Implementation Science will be set up as a central resource to support research and test innovations in these nine areas: alcohol; diabetes; infection; palliative and end of life care; psychosis; public health; stroke; women’s health; and patient and public involvement.
Researchers within the CLAHRC will also work closely with industry, including pharmaceutical companies, software companies and medical device manufacturers as they look for ground breaking ways to improve patient care. For example, St George’s is already working with industry partners to develop new ways of testing for sexually transmitted diseases and diagnosing infection at the point of care.
Professor Mike Sharland, consultant in paediatric infectious diseases at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, is leading research that aims to understand more about ‘super-bugs’ that are resistant to antibiotics (Gram negative bacteria) – and ensure antibiotics are only prescribed when they are likely to be effective.
