Alder Hey awarded £1.1m to improve the delivery of research across Liverpool

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded £1.1m from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to improve the delivery of research across Liverpool.

This funding is in addition to £3.2m, which the NIHR awarded to Alder Hey last year for a cutting-edge 3T research MRI scanner, which is now operational.

This new round of funding will make the MRI truly state-of-the-art by adding new imaging methods, allowing users to see more than ever before.

This makes Liverpool the only city in the UK with this combination of technology in a stand-alone paediatric hospital. In addition, matched funding for ophthalmology equipment will equip a paediatric eye research facility in Alder Hey.

The new funding also means that Alder Hey can support other sites in the UK without this facility.

Dan Hawcutt, Director of Research at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and Reader in Paediatric Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Liverpool, said: “This funding is going to help paediatric research in our city be cutting edge by providing a new research technology and will support our region and beyond. The MRI scanner will be able to do new research studies that cannot be delivered anywhere else and enable Alder Hey to lead on new studies but also support other sites where they may not have MRI capacity to take part in the research.

“The ophthalmology research equipment will also help the delivery of new eye research and other studies where eye checks are essential. Together they represent a vote of confidence in Alder Hey and the Liverpool research eco-system from NIHR, and we intend to work hard to make sure they deliver to their potential.”

This advanced scanner, funded from the initial £3.2m funding, has enhanced Alder Hey’s ability to collaborate with key partners, including supporting studies such as Children Growing Up In Liverpool (C-GULL), a partnership between the University of Liverpool, Wellcome Trust, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Liverpool City Council and the Liverpool Women’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The C-GULL study is a longitudinal birth cohort focused on improving the health and well-being of children and their families within the Liverpool City Region and other similar regions within the UK. The first MRI-related C-GULL sub-study that would require the MRI is now funded and scheduled for next year.

The new funding for research into child health follows the Liverpool Institute of Child Health and Wellbeing announcement by Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in October.

The new Institute will build on the long-standing collaboration between the University of Liverpool and Alder Hey and their respective world-leading reputations for healthcare research and innovation. It will bring together experts from various disciplines, to tackle complex issues in new and innovative ways.

With £1.1 million of new funding this year, following last year’s £3.2 million, Alder Hey now has over £4 million in capital investment dedicated to improving research delivery for children and adults in Liverpool and beyond.