MPFT works closely with a number of organisations and partners to foster and support a wide variety of activities to great success. Collaborative working agreements with local partner Trusts such as Shropshire Community Healthcare NHS Trust; and co-authored applications by NHS and other institutions (such as the ones below) have resulted in innovative and forward-thinking project applications and awards. By working closely with partners on projects that examine the wider health economy or proactively investigating challenges for the future, the Trust will be best placed to influence and champion high quality health care that is fit for purpose and for our Trust’s communities.

Higher Education Partners

Below is information on just a few of our key regional Higher Education Institute (HEI) partners. Due to the wide geography of MPFT, we work also regularly work collaboratively with other universities across the West Midlands and nationally; for example we have recently worked with University College London, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Manchester, King’s College, London and Imperial College London, to name a few.

Keele University LogoMPFT and Keele University have a joint research strategy and work collaboratively and closely across a wide range of Trust activities, including research, training and education. This close and cross-fertilising relationship has a number of joint clinical/academic posts now being supported and a variety of successful grant and project applications being undertaken across the organisations.

For more information on the activity currently undertaken with Keele, and for information on how to get involved please contact the Research and Innovation Team.

MPFT also works closely and collaboratively with Staffordshire University, supporting a number of projects and grant applications; and working with initiatives such as the Centre for Health and Development. The Trust also works closely with Staffordshire University to support students undertaking research with Trust staff and service users.

University of WorcesterMPFT has a close working relationship with the College of Health, Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Worcester, supporting mental health colleagues on a number of successful and prospective project grants.

 

Networks

Below are some of the networks that we work closely with.

National Institute for Health Research logoThe NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) is the clinical research delivery arm of the NHS. The CRN supports patients, the public and health and care organisations across England to participate in high-quality research, advancing knowledge and improving care. It does this by meeting the costs of additional staff, facilities, equipment and support services so that research is not subsidised with funding that has been provided for health and care treatments and service. It also provides specialist training, information systems to manage and report research, patient and public involvement and engagement initiatives.

The CRN is comprised of 15 Local Clinical Research Networks and 30 Specialties who coordinate and support the delivery of high-quality research both by geography and therapy area. Our local CRN is the West Midlands; more information can be found on their website https://local.nihr.ac.uk/lcrn/west-midlands/

The CRN facilitates the Trust to provide high-quality clinical research so that our patients can benefit from new and better treatments.

Health Research Authority logoThe core purpose of the HRA is to protect and promote the interests of patients and the public in health and social care research. In order to achieve this they:

  • make sure research is ethically reviewed and approved
  • promote transparency in research
  • oversee a range of committees and services
  • provide independent recommendations on the processing of identifiable patient information where it is not always practical to obtain consent, for research and non-research projects.

For more information, please visit the HRA website https://www.hra.nhs.uk/

West Midlands Academic Health Science Network logoThere are 15 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) across England, established by NHS England in 2013 to spread innovation at pace and scale – improving health and generating economic growth. Each AHSN works across a distinct geography serving a different population in each region.

They are the only bodies that connect NHS and academic organisations, local authorities, the third sector and industry, so are uniquely placed to identify and spread health innovation at pace and scale; driving the adoption and spread of innovative ideas and technologies across large populations.

The AHSN priorities are:

  • Promoting economic growth: fostering opportunities for industry to work effectively with the NHS
  • Diffusing innovation: creating the right environment, and supporting collaboration across boundaries, in order to adopt and spread innovation at pace and scale
  • Improving patient safety: using our knowledge, expertise and networks to bring together patients, healthcare staff and partners to determine priorities and develop and implement solutions
  • Optimising medicine use: ensuring that medication is used to its maximum benefit – improving safety and making efficient use of NHS resources
  • Improving quality and reducing variation: by spreading best practice we increase productivity and reduce variation, thereby improving patient outcomes
  • Putting research into practice: our strong links with academia mean we are uniquely placed to support the translation of research into clinical practice
  • Collaborating on national programmes: our unified programmes focus on delivery of the SBRI Healthcare initiative (supporting SME interaction), the NHS Innovation Accelerator, Patient Safety Collaboratives and medicines optimisation.

Our local AHSN is West Midlands, for more information please visit https://www.wmahsn.org/

For more information, on the AHSN in general, please visit https://www.ahsnnetwork.com/

The NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) West Midlands is a five-year initiative (2019-2024) funded by the National Institute of Health Research with matched funds provided by local health and social services. Their mission is to create lasting and effective partnerships across health and social care organisations, and universities (Birmingham, Keele and Warwick) in order to improve care services across the West Midlands. Their work builds on research conducted by both the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) for West Midlands and the CLAHRC Birmingham and Black Country pilot.

The West Midlands are one of 15 ARCs across England, part of a £135 million investment by the NIHR to improve the health and care of patients and the public.

For information on the West Midlands ARC, please visit https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/med/about/centres/arc-wm/

Health Education EnglandHealth Education England (HEE) exists to support the delivery of excellent healthcare and health improvement to the patients and public of England by ensuring that the workforce of today and tomorrow has the right numbers, skills, values and behaviours, at the right time and in the right place.

More than 160,000 students are at this moment studying to be part of our future workforce. That includes doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, physiotherapists and many more roles - in fact there are over 300 different types of jobs performed by more than one million people in the NHS.

Their vision is to provide the right workforce, with the right skills and values, in the right place at the right time to better meet the needs and wants of patients - now and in the future.

For more information please visit: https://www.hee.nhs.uk/

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