Lancashire medical research teams honoured at awards

Lancashire's best medical teams were honoured at the North West Coast Research and Innovation Awards.
Alistair Grey, Innovation Champion, with compere Lawrence McGinty and award presenter Lord Andrew MawsonAlistair Grey, Innovation Champion, with compere Lawrence McGinty and award presenter Lord Andrew Mawson
Alistair Grey, Innovation Champion, with compere Lawrence McGinty and award presenter Lord Andrew Mawson

The regional awards were jointly organised by the Innovation Agency; the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network North West Coast; and NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) North West Coast.

Alistair Gray, Chief Pharmacist at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust was named Innovation Champion for his work developing Refer to Pharmacy – a tool which has improved patients’ use of medication after being discharged from hospital.

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The Clinical Research Team or Site of the Year Award was presented to Queen Square Medical Practice in Lancaster, for its work co-ordinating research by all GP practices in North Lancashire and increasing the number of patients on clinical trials.

The Clinical Research Role Model of the Year category was won by Prof Nusrat Husain of Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust. Layton Medical Centre in Blackpool won the Excellence in the Delivery of Commercial Life Sciences Research Award for achieving targets in commercial research studies.

The Most Innovative NHS Team award was presented to NHS R&D North West.

Flo Seymour, from the University of Central Lancashire, was presented with the Research for Wellbeing Award for her study into the impact of a horticulture project on the wellbeing of prisoners.

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Professor Mark Gabbay, Director of NIHR CLAHRC NWC, said: “These awards have showcased the benefits of working together. By having members of the public, universities, industry, NHS partners and others in a knowledge sharing environment, we can deliver ground-breaking research that improves the health and wellbeing of the population of the North West Coast.”

Jacqueline Pirmohamed, Chief Operating Officer of the NIHR CRN North West Coast, said: I would like to congratulate all the winners and finalists; the awards are a fantastic celebration of the region’s achievements and success relating to research and innovation.

“I would also like to thank the many patients and other individuals who give up their valuable time, often at challenging times in their lives, to benefit our understanding of disease and its treatment.”

Dr Liz Mear, Chief Executive of the Innovation Agency, said: “The North West Coast is rich in talent and collaborations and our awards have thrown a light on outstanding individuals and organisations leading the way in research and innovation. These are people who go over and above what is asked of them, to make a real difference to people’s lives.”