University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust awarded 1.8m for cleft lip and cancer research
8 June 2009
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust has been
awarded £1.8 million by the National Institute for Health Research
(NIHR) for research into cleft lip and palate, and head and neck
cancer.
The funding is under the NIHR Programme Grants for Applied
Research, which are awarded to leading applied health research
groups tackling areas of priority or need for the NHS. This
research will look at services across England and will be
undertaken with the support of the University of Bristol. It aims
to improve the quality of care for children born with cleft lip and
palate and those suffering from head and neck cancer.
Professor of Epidemiology, Andy Ness, says: "The care for
children with cleft lip and palate and for people with head and
neck cancer is complicated and is increasingly being concentrated
in specialist centres. The evidence to support these changes and
many of the treatment decisions made is limited. This programme
will summarise the existing literature and evaluate the current
services to provide the evidence required to make these services as
effective as possible."
One in every 600-700 children in the UK is born with a cleft lip
and or palate - that's 1000 per year.
Ends
Press contact: Laura Treasure, Press Officer 0117 342 3718
or laura.treasure@uhbristol.nhs.uk
Notes to editors:
About University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
The Trust runs the Bristol Eye Hospital, Bristol General
Hospital, Bristol Homeopathic Hospital, Bristol Haematology and
Oncology Centre, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, Bristol
Royal Infirmary, St Michael's Hospital, the University of Bristol
Dental Hospital, and the Central Health Clinic.
The Trust's 7,500 staff offer more than 100 different clinical
services. From the neonatal intensive care unit to care of the
elderly, it offers care to the people of Bristol and the South West
from the very beginning of life to its later stages.
Trust staff have developed leading edge services such as cardiac
surgery and bone marrow transplantation that have built an
international reputation and are in demand by patients from across
the country.
With strong links to the University of Bristol and University of
West of England, the Trust is the major medical research centre in
the region. These academic links make the Trust the largest centre
for medical training in the South West, attracting the highest
calibre clinical staff from across the UK.
About NIHR
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) provides the
framework through which the research staff and research
infrastructure of the NHS in England is positioned, maintained and
managed as a national research facility. The NIHR provides the NHS
with the support and infrastructure it needs to conduct first-class
research funded by the Government and its partners alongside
high-quality patient care, education and training. Its aim is to
support outstanding individuals (both leaders and collaborators),
working in world-class facilities (both NHS and university),
conducting leading-edge research focused on the needs of patients.
For more details, see www.nihr.ac.uk
