Our partnership

Delivering successful clinical research activities is a key part of addressing health challenges and improving the wellbeing of our patients.

The Newcastle BRC is a great example of clinical research activity at its most efficient. In a region where health outcomes are disproportionately lower than the rest of the country, we truly value our BRC for its work in improving the health and wellbeing of people living with age-related and long-term conditions.

Dame Jackie Daniel, Chief Executive, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Newcastle Hospitals is an ambitious and successful Trust, providing outstanding clinical services to the local population, whilst delivering world-class innovation and research, influencing the sector on a national and a global level.

Newcastle Hospitals is one of just five in the country to have been awarded an ‘Outstanding’ rating by the independent health and social care regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), in two consecutive assessments.

One of the other five trusts similarly recognised, is the Cumbria, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, which Newcastle BRC investigators also work closely with.

Healthcare at its best, with people at its heart

Launched in 2019, the Newcastle Hospitals Trust’s new 5-year strategy was created through consultation with staff across the organisation, with a vision of:

Achieving local excellence and global reach through compassionate and innovative healthcare, education and research

The Trust has five strategic priorities:

• Patients: putting patients at the heart of everything they do. Providing care of the highest standard focusing on safety and quality.
• People: Supported by their cornerstone programme ‘Flourish’, they will ensure that each member of staff is able to achieve their potential.
• Partnerships: To be an effective partner, developing and delivering integrated care and playing their part in local, national and international programmes.
• Pioneers: Ensuring that they are at the forefront of health innovation and research.
• Performance: Being outstanding, now and in the future.

Research carried out as part of the NIHR Newcastle BRC fits perfectly with our focus on medical research and education that is designed to feed into and improve the healthcare system. This research is geared towards supporting the healthcare needs of an ageing population, particularly those living with long-term multiple conditions. The Faculty of Medical Sciences at Newcastle University is proud to be part of the Newcastle BRC, and we have seen so many benefits from this translational focus.

Professor David Burn, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University

Newcastle University’s activity aims to advance knowledge, provide creative solutions and solve global problems. It is a world class, research-intensive university that builds upon a broad disciplinary base to integrate education with research and engagement.

Medicine has been taught at Newcastle since 1834 and a lot of modern care techniques and technologies were developed here. Newcastle University also boasts a well-established expertise around ageing research, having invested in studies, staff and infrastructure to advance work in this area.

This expertise in ageing makes the NIHR Newcastle BRC ideally placed to be the only BRC in the country to focus on supporting first-in-to-man studies* in this field; accelerating discoveries to deliver improvements to diagnosis, treatments or interventions, and potentially cures, for age-related conditions.

*beyond work that may have only been tested on animals.

Ageing research at Newcastle University

• 1960s: scientists at Newcastle University identify the major brain biochemical deficit which causes Alzheimer’s disease, making the institution a world leader in ageing research and age-related illness
• 1994: Institute for the Health of the Elderly established – the first multidisciplinary centre to recognise the complexity of ageing research and its importance as a societal challenge
• 2004: first purpose-built ageing research building was constructed: the Henry Wellcome Laboratory for Biogerontology Research
• 2005: the University partnered with the Newcastle Hospitals establish Campus for Ageing and Vitality
• 2007: first NIHR Newcastle BRC established – went on to be successful in two successive funding competitions, meaning that a BRC focusing on ageing and long-term conditions has now been here for 12 years
• 2014: the University successfully bid to host National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA), bringing together academics, the NHS, public and private sector