Patients in Walsall will benefit from a share of £30 million awarded to 36 NHS organisations in England for new medical equipment and technology.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is supporting NHS Trusts to deliver cutting edge clinical research to improve the prevention, management and treatment of disease. It will also increase NHS capacity to deliver commercial clinical trials, which will bring innovative surgical techniques, medical implants and medicines to patients earlier.
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust is already at the forefront having been one of the first district general hospitals to acquire robotic technology for joint replacements.
The research and development team at Walsall Healthcare, in collaboration with the department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, has now been awarded £183,000 which will go towards setting up a state-of-the-art Radiosterometric Analysis (RSA) lab for monitoring and assessing the latest in implant technologies in joint replacement.
This will include complex 3D mapping software, calibration equipment and a mobile X-ray unit that will increase the Trust’s capability to carry out clinical trials in orthopaedic joint replacement technology. Until recently, this has only been available in around 15 large research units nationwide.
Mr Fahad Hossain, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and Director of Research and Development at the Trust who put together the bid, said: “It’s great news for our patients and our researchers here in Walsall that we have secured these funds from the NIHR .
“The RSA lab will allow us to carry out a wider range of research studies in orthopaedics, providing the very latest in joint replacement care for our patients.
“Anything that improves our research capability will have benefits for the whole community.”
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Executive of the NIHR, said: “This significant investment will provide NHS Trusts in England with the high-quality equipment, technology and facilities they need to deliver cutting edge research that benefits the public. The NIHR is directing this funding so that it reaches the areas and people with the greatest need, giving more communities the chance to take part in life-changing clinical trials.
“This will not only benefit patients directly, but also support the economic growth of the country, helping to position the UK as an attractive place for innovative companies to invest in research.”
Find out more about research at the Trust here.