Creation of UK’s First Academic Health Science Centre Moves Step Closer

New organisation aims to become an NHS Foundation Trust sponsored by Imperial - <em>News Release - 7 March 2007</em>

Issued on behalf of Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust, Imperial College London and St Mary's NHS Trust

For immediate release
Wednesday 7 March 2007

A key step forward for the UK’s first Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC) has been taken.

The AHSC will be the first organisation of its kind in the UK, formally bringing together the delivery of clinical services, teaching and research through a new governance structure. This integrated approach – joining together hospitals with medical education and research institutes – is in place in other parts of the world, such as the US, and is yielding improvements and better clinical outcomes for patients.

London’s Strategic Health Authority has decided that the new organisation should ultimately work to become an NHS Foundation Trust (under section 5 of the Health and Social Care Act 2003) sponsored by Imperial College London.

The Boards of Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust and St Mary’s NHS Trust agreed the proposal at their meetings on 26 and 27 February respectively.

This will be the first time any organisation other than an NHS Trust has bid to become a Foundation Trust sponsor. Foundation Trusts aim to bring about improved access to higher quality services for NHS patients, by devolving more power and responsibility to a local level.

Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust, Imperial College London, and St Mary’s NHS Trust have together been exploring a proposal to create an AHSC since February 2006. The creation of the AHSC in autumn this year is subject to a successful public consultation to merge St Mary’s and Hammersmith Hospitals trusts. An application for Foundation Trust status from the Academic Health Science Centre would follow the merger of the two Trusts.

The SHA believes that the benefits of an AHSC will be best realised through leadership from a single role combining the responsibilities for merger of the Chief Executive of the Trust with the Principal of the College’s Faculty of Medicine.

Ruth Carnall, Chief Executive of NHS London said:

“We are delighted that the two trusts and Imperial College London are taking these first steps towards a new type of organisation. We strongly believe the Academic Health Science Centre has the potential to increase London’s international competitiveness in biomedical research and deliver a quicker translation of research into service benefits for patients.”

The College and the Trust Boards have appointed Professor Stephen Smith, Principal of the Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, to be responsible for the establishment of the AHSC up to the point when a Chief Executive is appointed through open advertisement. The objectives set for Professor Smith are to achieve the merger of Hammersmith Hospitals and St Mary’s NHS Trusts and the integration of those Trusts into an Academic Health Science Centre with the Faculty of Medicine of Imperial College London by autumn 2007.

Sir Richard Sykes , Rector of Imperial College London said:

“Healthcare is changing and we want to be at the forefront of helping patients benefit from it. Brilliant and innovative healthcare originates in a research-led hospital environment and we aim to link the two in the Academic Health Science Centre.

“We carry out some of the best biomedical research in the world in this country and we need to transfer that innovation to create the best hospitals and networks of care – our research and the service we give to patients should be completely allied.”

Professor Stephen Smith  said:

"The task of creating the first Foundation Trust sponsored by a university, making the most of the expertise available at Imperial and combining it with the strengths of St Mary’s and Hammersmith Trusts is a bold but critical challenge.

“The features of hospitals that patients demand – clean wards and good food for example - go hand-in-hand with excellent medical care and excellent outcomes from their stay and the AHSC will be a model for giving both to the patient.

“I am delighted to have been asked to lead the next phase of this work to create an AHSC and I look forward to working with colleagues in both Trusts and other healthcare professionals to achieve it.”

Derek Smith and Julian Nettel, chief executives of Hammersmith Hospitals and St Mary’s Trusts respectively, said:

"We are leading the way for others to follow by creating an organisation that will raise the bar in improving patient care. It is tremendously exciting but, because it is so new, there is a lot of work going on to ensure we really make this happen and provide a world-class service to our patients.”

The Boards of St Mary’s and Hammersmith will continue to discharge their overall responsibilities for the management of their Trusts until any merger takes place.

The public consultation to create the AHSC is expected to start next month.

-ends-

For further information please contact:

Don Neame
Communications Manager
Academic Health Sciences Centre Programme
Telephone: 020 8237 2018
Mobile: 0771 209 7659
Email: DNeame@hhnt.nhs.uk
Website: www.ahsc.org.uk

Notes to editors:

* The public consultation on the creation of the AHSC is due to start shortly. More information is available on the website www.ahsc.org.uk or by phoning 020 8237 2018 or writing to The AHSC Programme Office, 2nd Flr Education Block, Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Rd, London, W6 8RF.

* In December 2006 the AHSC partners were selected as one of the UK’s 11 Biomedical Research Centres. The award guarantees the partners research funding of £19.5 million per annum for the next five years, and makes the West London BRC the leading centre for the UK. BRCs will be leaders in translating scientific research into benefits for patients.

* In the Chancellor’s 2006 pre-budget statement Gordon Brown announced that the government accepted the findings of a new report into UK Health Research funding, which included a statement of support for the AHSC model. The Cooksey report stated: "Universities and Trusts might follow the US Academic Medical Centre model, as Imperial College and St. Mary's and Hammersmith NHS Trusts are doing with their plan to create the UK's first Academic Health Sciences Centre. This proposal, which promises to deliver greater integration of not only research strategies, but vital underpinning human resources and capital assets, should make for a more effective approach to health research and patient care at these institutions.”
Cooksey Report [pdf], Dec 2006 (para 6.28, page 72)

* In terms of benefits to patients both locally and beyon d, the Trusts and Imperial believe the establishment of an AHSC would enable the partners to lead the world in improving human health and provide world-class healthcare for our patients through excellence in research, education and training:

• Attracting the world's leading clinicians and researchers
• Reducing the time taken to develop and make available new treatments and services
• Supporting initiatives to provide more care in people’s homes and community environments
• Retaining and developing the widest possible ra nge of specialist services and ensuring better quality care for patients with complex diseases and health needs
• Enabling the development of more modern buildings and facilities

* Between them St Mary’s and Hammersmith Hospitals Trusts can already boast some of the very best outcomes and survival rates in the country for conditions such as: Heart attacks and heart diseases; Kidney failure and transplantation; Cancers, including breast, prostate, stomach, lung and colon; Viral liver infections and pneumonia They have achieved this record by employing the very latest thinking, technology and treatments.

* Imperial College London is the UK’s leading clinical academic university with 140 clinical academic fellows and 53 clinical lecturers. It had its world-class reputation confirmed in the Times Higher Education Supplement 2006 World University Rankings, which placed the university fourth in the world for biomedicine and ninth in the world overall.