The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has awarded nearly £50m to pay for “vital” NHS research equipment, including “speciality pharmacy refurbishments”.
The NIHR said the £47.8m funding will provide essential equipment to 51 NHS Trusts and 79 primary care organisations across England and “help to streamline the delivery of innovative clinical trials”.
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It added that more than half of the investment has been secured by primary care organisations to “bring commercial clinical trials directly to local communities”.
“This will make it easier for people from all backgrounds to take part in life-changing research and get early access to innovative treatments,” it said.
Speciality pharmacy facilities
The NIHR said that in addition to “cutting-edge equipment”, it is investing in “building refurbishments and new modular facilities” - including “speciality pharmacy refurbishments” that will “unblock challenges in responding to industry needs for commercial clinical trials”.
And health innovation and patient safety minister Dr Zubir Ahmed said the funding is “being awarded for specialty pharmacy facilities, including in Norwich, Plymouth and London” that will “enable the delivery of innovative treatments”.
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The NIHR told C+D the “purpose-built, modular pharmacy units” will enable funding awardees “to safely manage investigational medicinal products (IMPs) and clinical trial participant’s samples without impacting or relying on NHS pharmacy capacity”.
Pharmacy equipment will also be provided, including “temperature-controlled fridges and freezers, centrifuges and laminar flow cabinets” to “enhance, or in some cases provide, the capability to prepare and store samples and IMPs”.
“For some awardees, particularly those based in primary care settings, the absence of such equipment had previously limited their ability to participate in clinical research,” the NIHR said.
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“This project helps more communities take part in life-saving research,” the NIHR said. “It targets local health centres that are ready to expand, making it easier for patients everywhere to get involved.”
It gives primary care providers access to new funding, it added, with “the majority of awards going to organisations outside the Greater South East”.
Other equipment and refurbishments funded by the award include:
- Mobile research vans equipped for screening and diagnostics to increase patient recruitment and reduce geographic inequalities in locations including Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk
- Diagnostic infrastructure including fibroscanners, AccuVein scanners and ultrasound scanners to address imaging needs for trial set-up and delivery
Shift to local communities
Ahmed said that “for too long, access to innovative treatments has been unequal”.
“By targeting primary care, we are changing that - giving patients everywhere the chance to benefit from the latest medical breakthroughs on their doorstep, regardless of where they live or their background,” he added.
“This is how we will build an NHS fit for the future, keep the UK at the cutting-edge of global life sciences and drive the economic growth our country needs.”
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And the Department of Health and Social Care’s chief scientific adviser and NIHR chief executive Professor Lucy Chappell said the “significant investment” will give the NHS the “high-quality equipment and facilities it needs to deliver cutting-edge commercial research that benefits the public”.
“With more than half of the funding this time going to primary care providers, the NIHR is once again showing its commitment to shifting research out of hospitals and into local communities, giving patients direct access to innovative treatments, and making it easier for everyone to take part in research,” she added.
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It comes after Boots announced that it has partnered with Civia Health to bring “dedicated clinical research sites” to high street pharmacies for the first time.
The health and beauty chain said it is the first time “dedicated clinical research units” have been set up in high street pharmacies, which will enable people to “participate in locations that are easy to reach and that they know and trust”.
