Published on February 16, 2006 at 3:49 AM
St Mary's and Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trusts are considering opportunities for closer collaboration.
In particular the Trusts and Imperial College London are keen to explore how world class medical research and teaching can expand and be further harnessed for NHS patients.
An option under discussion is for the Trusts to merge and create the UK's first Academic NHS Foundation Trust. This model of research and patient care thriving side-by-side has been pioneered by leading hospitals and universities in north America and Europe with excellent outcomes for patients.
The Trusts and Imperial College are commissioning a feasibility study to identify the benefits of this approach for patients, research and training and to examine how practical it would be to implement. The three organisations will then decide whether to pursue this opportunity and engage with staff and local communities in the summer.
http://www.imperial.ac.uk