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The NIHR aims to improve the health and wealth of the UK through research. Its mission is to provide a health research system in which the NHS supports outstanding individuals working in world-class facilities, conducting leading-edge research focused on the needs of patients and the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The NIHR supports research from laboratory bench to bedside for the benefit of patients and the economy. It works with patients and the public to shape the research agenda, finding new ways of preventing, identifying and treating ill health, evaluating the effectiveness and impact of new healthcare treatments, and ensures that the best possible evidence is available to inform decisions about health and social care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The NIHR HIC is a collaboration between NHS trusts, each of which has a strong relationship with a partner university. These relationships have been strengthened and supported by the NIHR, in particular through the establishment of NIHR Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs) within each trust. It is the BRCs that provide the focal points for the NIHR HIC, bringing together clinical, scientific, and informatics expertise at each trust to improve the quality and availability of patient information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The aims of the NIHR HIC are to:
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An additional aim is to demonstrate this new capability \u2013 the data flows and the governance framework \u2013 through the delivery of a number of exemplar research studies, one in each of the established therapeutic areas.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The NIHR HIC is formed of NHS trusts, some with a university partner:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Electronic patient records hold detailed information about patients’ life circumstances, their medical history, and the treatment they receive. This information is needed by frontline healthcare professionals for the delivery and continuity of care. When collected together, it is also extremely useful to health planners in assessing what services are needed, and what improvements could be made, and by researchers working to turn scientific progress into patient benefit.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n By improving the quality<\/span>,<\/span> availability <\/span>and consistency<\/span> of electronic patient records nationally, the NIHR HIC contributes to improving patient outcomes, reducing the costs of care and accelerating health research<\/span> and service improvements.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Patient<\/span> information is captured in different settings and held in different ways, but in order to be able to draw reliable research conclusions it is vital to be able to compare like with like. The NIHR HIC is helping to check that data can be sensibly compared by creating different data models across the patient <\/span>experience<\/span>, from initial diagnosis to eventual outcome. This helps to identify ways in which data may need to be adapted to enable effective comparison and provide more assurance that conclusions are sound. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a wealth of information available about the diagnosis of patients, their treatment over a period of time, and the outcomes that they experience. A key challenge for researchers is that this information is held in many different IT systems, which need to work together to provide the fullest picture of what has happened, and what has been effective or not. The NIHR HIC is working on ways to pool data from operational systems into central stores more effectively, and develop different tools and techniques to review, analyse, standardise and present the data in different<\/span> and more useful, clinically effective ways.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Effective research by companies such as those making medicines and medical equipment is vital for improving treatments and outcomes for patients. There is a real opportunity to enhance the work of these companies by making available high quality and relevant clinical data, which has been collected in standard ways to help comparison. Through the NIHR HIC, prospective research partners are able to work with its members to determine the feasibility of specific studies.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n A key benefit is the ability to combine the patient populations across the different organisations for each research theme. Where a study is feasible and ethical approval is obtained, the ability to form patient groups rapidly across multiple organisations, and to draw some or even all the clinical data required from existing information systems, greatly reduces the cost and timelines of execution of research projects.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe NIHR HIC trusts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Trust and Health Board<\/th> University<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Alder Hey Children\u2019s NHS Foundation Trust<\/a><\/td> University of Liverpool <\/td><\/tr> Barts Health NHS Trust<\/a><\/td> Queen Mary University of London<\/td><\/tr> Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust<\/a><\/td> <\/td><\/tr> Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust <\/a><\/td> University of Manchester<\/td><\/tr> Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust<\/a><\/td> <\/td><\/tr> Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust<\/a><\/td> University of Cambridge<\/td><\/tr> Cardiff and Vale University Health Board<\/a><\/td> Cardiff University<\/td><\/tr> Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust<\/a><\/td> <\/td><\/tr> Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust<\/a><\/td> Imperial College London<\/td><\/tr> Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust<\/a><\/td> University College London Institute of Child Health<\/td><\/tr> Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust<\/a><\/td> King’s College London<\/td><\/tr> Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust<\/a><\/td> Hull University<\/td><\/tr> Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust<\/a><\/td> Imperial College London<\/td><\/tr> Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust<\/a><\/td> King’s College London<\/td><\/tr> Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust<\/a><\/td> University of Leeds<\/td><\/tr> Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust <\/a><\/td> University of Liverpool<\/td><\/tr> Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust<\/a><\/td> University of Liverpool<\/td><\/tr> Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust<\/a><\/td> University of Manchester<\/td><\/tr> Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust<\/a><\/td> UCL Institute of Ophthalmology<\/td><\/tr> NHS Blood and Transplant<\/a><\/td> <\/td><\/tr> NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde<\/a><\/td> University of Glasgow<\/td><\/tr> Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust<\/a><\/td> University of Nottingham<\/td><\/tr> Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust<\/a><\/td> University of Oxford<\/td><\/tr> Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust\ufeff<\/a><\/td> University of Oxford<\/td><\/tr> Royal Berkshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust<\/a> <\/td> <\/td><\/tr> Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust<\/a><\/td> The Institute of Cancer Research<\/td><\/tr> Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust<\/a><\/td> University of Sheffield<\/td><\/tr> The Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust<\/a><\/td> Keele University School of Medicine<\/td><\/tr> University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust<\/a><\/td> University College London<\/td><\/tr> U<\/a>niversity Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust <\/a><\/td> University of Birmingham<\/td><\/tr> University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust<\/a><\/td> University of Bristol<\/td><\/tr> U<\/a>niversity Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust<\/a><\/td> University of Leicester<\/td><\/tr> University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust<\/a><\/td> University of Southampton <\/td><\/tr> West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust<\/a><\/td> University College London<\/td><\/tr> Whittington Health NHS Trust <\/a><\/td> University College London<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n The NIHR HIC benefits<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
More effective use of electronic patient records<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Improving the ability to draw comparisons from research and analysis<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Making information held easier to find and use<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Better opportunities to link with other public organisations, charities, academic organisations and industry to improve patient outcomes<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n