Prime Minister David Cameron has announced a new collaboration between London’s university and NHS partnerships that will advance medical science and improve health for the Capital. 

Academic Health Sciences Centres (AHSCs) - King’s Health Partners and UCL Partners, alongside Imperial AHSC and planned Academic Health Sciences Partnership - have signed a Concordat setting out their commitment to work together with Mayor Boris Johnson and NHS London to deliver world class research, education and patient care for the benefit of Londoners and patients across the UK. The aim is to work together to improve the health of London’s population whilst repositioning London as a global leader, attracting talent and inward investment.  As a priority, the collaboration will explore the potential to develop an information system that will build on the NHS record and pull together patient level data for London’s population. This project will enable large groups of patients to be engaged in world-class clinical research on disease-specific and personalised treatments.

The signed Concordat forms part of the Prime Minister’s package of measures announced today designed to make Britain’s life-sciences industry a cornerstone of economic growth.

The Concordat states that an Executive Group will co-ordinate delivery of the programme which will aim to:

•    Pioneer biomedical discovery – The Concordat signatories will pool strengths in biomedical research. All are partners in the Francis Crick Institute and have National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) investments in Biomedical Research Centres and Units. The organisations will together advance the discovery of new treatments, devices and diagnostics and their rapid translation into practice. As three of the founding partners in the state of the art imaging company – Imanova – the organisations will create new links between academia and industry.

•    Improve the health of our community - Underpinning this is a commitment to population health gain and the translation of evidence into practice at scale through new collaborative investment for health improvement for London, the academic leadership for which is already in place.

•    Advance information systems for world-class research - The three AHSCs and AHSP will explore the potential to develop an information system that will build on the NHS record and pull together patient level data for London’s population. This project will enable large groups of patients to be engaged in world-class clinical research on disease-specific and personalised treatments. Use of the data by biomedical firms will drive innovation, add economic value and attract inward investment enabling further growth.

•    Boost the London and wider economy - The three AHSCs and AHSP have agreed to develop metrics that measure the economic impact of their work as a tool to focus on delivery, and report progress quarterly to the Executive group. These measures will co-ordinate delivery of the AHSCs’ objectives of making London an international hub for biomedical advance that delivers both better health for our population and economic gain for London and nationally.

Universities and Science Minister David Willetts said:
 
"Londoners can expect to see real health and economic gains from the signing of this agreement. The focus on collaborative research between leading researchers and the NHS opens up the possibility of getting many more clinical trials undertaken here. This will benefit patients and make London a highly attractive place for the biomedical industry to locate."

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson welcomed today's announcement:

“London is already a global leader in scientific and medical research and this exciting development will help keep us at the forefront of the life sciences. This in turn will lead to new innovations in treatments for patients, as well as being good for the economy with the potential for jobs growth.”

Professor Robert Lechler, Executive Director of King’s Health Partners said:

“Medical discoveries and advances in technology are taking place, not only within biomedical companies, but in our universities, especially when they work so closely with NHS hospitals, as part of an Academic Health Sciences Centre such as King’s Health Partners. It is crucial that these breakthroughs have an accelerated journey so that   patients in London and beyond benefit from novel treatments at the earliest possible opportunity.”

Professor the Lord Darzi, Paul Hamlyn Chair of Surgery at Imperial College London:

“The government’s ambition to give patients faster access to new treatments is to be welcomed. Imperial’s Academic Health Science Centre and planned Academic Health Science Partnership will work with Kings Health Partners and UCL Partners in a new collaboration which will advance the discovery of new treatments, devices and diagnostics and speed their translation to patients. Together we can draw on our strengths and scale our practices to not only advance medical science and improve health in the capital, but help make London a global hub for biomedical activities.”

Professor Sir John Tooke, UCL Vice Provost (Health) said:

"The government's ambitions in relation to UK science and medicine, as outlined in the Prime Minister's speech today, should be broadly welcomed. It is right that scientific and medical industry in the UK should remain a cornerstone of economic growth and that we empower patients to participate in research and drive the adoption of new scientific advances within the NHS.

"We are pleased to have signed a concordant with Kings Health Partners and Imperial’s Academic Health Science Centre and planned Academic Health Science Partnership. It means we will be able to draw on all our joint strengths to advance medical science and improve the health of the patient populations we serve."

ENDS
Notes to editors
Press enquiries contact: Sarah Crack, Communications Manager, King’s Health Partners 020 7188 4058.

1.    The three Academic Health Sciences Centres (AHSCs) serving London are:
King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre: www.kingshealthpartners.org
Imperial AHSC and planned Academic Health Science Partnership (AHSP): www.ahsc.org.uk/plans.htm 
University College London (UCL) Partners: www.uclpartners.com 

2.    The AHSCs are partnerships between world-class universities and leading NHS organisations. The three AHSCs in London have recognised a significant number of areas of potential synergy in areas of common interest, and wish to develop a closer working relationship in order to promote innovation in areas of strategic importance. The signed Concordat can be read here: http://kingshealthpartners.org/info/academic-health-sciences1

3.    Leaders from Imperial AHSC and planned AHSP, King's Health Partners and UCL Partners will meet at least quarterly to review interactions and specific developments and to discuss the operation of the Concordat. They will be supported by the Mayor of London’s Office, and the NHS.