New health research hub aims to tackle care for elderly, long term conditions and health inequality in Bedfordshire and Luton

An innovative partnership hub for health research is to be set up in Bedfordshire and Luton to help improve patient care in primary and community healthcare services.

East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) and the Department of Public Health and Primary at the University of Cambridge have forged a strategic partnership to help tackle major areas of unmet health needs in the community.

The hub will address some of the region’s most important healthcare problems, including frailty among older people, long-term medical conditions, narrowing health inequities, and helping primary and community healthcare best address the needs of the local population.

A key focus of the hub will be on primary care services including general practice, pharmacy, dental and optometry services. Community health services are mainly delivered in people’s homes and provide care for people from birth to end of life, including supporting people with complex health and care needs to live independently in their own home for as long as possible.

It will carry out its research programmes working closely with healthcare staff in primary and community health and social care services in the area, and with the patients and carers of Bedfordshire and Luton. It will also help to bring new academic opportunities to GPs and community healthcare professionals in the area, offering training and support to help them get started on their research journeys.

Paul Calaminus, ELFT’s chief executive, said: “Working with Cambridge University, a world-renown leader in the field of research, will play an important role in improving population health in our communities. We know that service users of the Trust like being involved in research and want others to benefit from their experiences.”

Professor John Danesh, head of the department of public health and primary care, said: “This innovative partnership with ELFT provides exciting opportunities to achieve both major new scientific insight and far-reaching societal impact to enhance the health of populations in Bedfordshire, Luton and beyond: both goals are central to our institution’s mission.”

Dr Rima Makarem, chair of Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, said: “This important research will help to improve patient care in primary and community healthcare services, making a real difference to people’s lives.”