providing the NHS with the support and facilities it needs for first class research

NIHR Research Centres for Patient Safety & Service Quality

Two Research Centres for Patient Safety & Service Quality have been established to drive improvements in the safety, quality and effectiveness of the services the NHS provides to its patients and the public. The Centres will bring together NHS professionals with academic experts from a wide range of backgrounds, including management and the social sciences, to focus on investigating ways to improve the care of patients.

The Centres will receive substantial government funding to ensure they produce world-class outputs and attract and retain the most talented researchers. For more information please read the Department of Health press release.

The Centres were selected through open competition by an international expert panel based on the quality of the bids they entered and their reputation for world class research.

NIHR Research Centres for Patient Safety & Service Quality

NHS Organisation	Academic Partner	Specialism
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust	Imperial College London	Safety, quality, resilience and reliability of technology; effective use of information technology; the role of NHS managers and staff in enhancing patient safety.
King's College Hospital NHS Trust	King's College London	New and emerging health technologies; the organisation and management of health services and staff to reduce risk.

Development Grants have also been awarded to Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust to support their research on patient safety and service quality.

Funding

The total amount of funding allocated to the two Centres is £9.5m over five years. Development Grants have also been awarded to Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust worth up to £800,000 over three years. The total funding package, worth more than £10m over five years, began in April 2007.

Selection Process

Calls for expressions of interest were released in April 2006 with a deadline of 24 May 2006 for pre-qualifying questionnaires. All NHS providers in England in collaboration with academic partners were eligible to apply.

An international expert Selection Panel reviewed the Pre-Qualifying Questionnaires and applied the criteria outlined in the guidance document, NIHR Research Centres for NHS Patient Safety & Service Quality - Invitation to Submit Pre-Qualifying Questionnaire. A shortlist of the partnerships with the most substantial portfolios of research in the field of patient safety and service quality were invited to submit a full application.