Funding research and innovation

OUR GRANTS

Funding research and innovation

uclhcharity.org.uk/does/advancing-research

We are always keen to support projects that aspire to deliver better, safer, more efficient care at UCLH and the wider NHS. Despite the pandemic, the culture of research and innovation continued to thrive at UCLH.

Investing in research

A clinical fellowship programme was introduced to embed a culture of research and innovation at UCLH. It continues to attract high calibre candidates in a wide range of specialties, including undergraduate medical education fellows in infectious diseases, general surgery and postgraduate medical education fellows in internal medicine training and obstetrics and gynaecology.

CASE STUDY

Joel Stanton

Joel Stanton is a charge nurse on a stroke ward of Stroke Services at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. In summer 2020, he was awarded a charity funded Levi fellowship to explore how Epic, the electronic health record system, could support, improve and enhance decision making around one-to-one nursing care, or ‘specialling’ as it is known. Joel explains:

“The Levi fellowship has enabled me to explore my interest in how technology can support patient care. Specialling is common in nursing practice, but there is little evidence about how and when to do it. We use our clinical judgement. “I saw an opportunity in helping to support clinical decision making around specialling using the wealth of data collected by Epic. “Another aspect of my study involves interviews with staff about their experience of specialling. Taken together I hope to present a comprehensive study which will inform future care.”

Using patients’ data to transform their care

We’re funding a trailblazing initiative that involves patients gathering and entering information about their health into their health record, providing a holistic, real time picture of their health at any one time. This has been facilitated by the implementation of Epic, the electronic patient record system, and its patient portal component, MyCare at UCLH. In a UK first, a pilot is being undertaken where women planning to have their babies at UCLH can enter their blood pressure data directly into their clinical records. This enables regular monitoring for conditions like pre-eclampsia. Women whose blood pressure indicates risk are flagged to the clinical team for follow up. Using the same technology, this concept will be further developed so that data from patient wearable devices like Fitbits and Apple can be uploaded automatically into the health record for patients about to undergo surgery. This data would be piloted for use in prehabilitation, getting patients mentally and physically fit before surgery, and rehabilitation, by monitoring patients for problems at home after surgery. These can lead to patients being able to return home earlier and better recovery outcomes.

Covid study

Covid donations have enabled a study into Covid infections among NHS staff from BAME communities

Transforming spinal instrumentation surgery

We are supporting one spinal navigation robot, lead lined theatre doors and the replacement of image intensifiers at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. This will help make surgery for the 350 patients who undergo spinal fixation each year, safer and more precise, thereby reducing the risk of disability. It will also enable lateral and posterior surgery at the same time instead of being done in two different stages. One procedure instead of two reduces surgery risks, improves recovery and reduces overall length of stay in hospital.

ALSO IN 2020/21

We have part funded new

equipment for use at the Centre for Neuromuscular Disease and Neuroimmunology Laboratory

at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. This high-tech equipment measures brain and fluid biomarkers in serum and plasma and enables ongoing assessment and tailored therapy without the need for lumbar punctures. This benefits patients and potentially realises significant cost savings for the NHS. The pioneering UCLH/ GOSH/

UZ Leuven Fetal Surgery Service

operates on babies with spina bifida in the womb, reducing the risk of paralysis and other lifelimiting conditions. The service was funded by UCLH Charity and GOSH Charity and has now been commissioned by NHS England, with UCLH as the national provider. We are funding further developments for this service.