Boost for Cheshire and Merseyside as Commercial Research Delivery Centre Comes to Liverpool

A new NIHR Commercial Research Delivery Centre will bring cutting-edge commercial research to communities in Cheshire and Merseyside.

As part of the NHS 10-year health plan, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced plans to establish 20 Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDCs), giving patients access to pioneering clinical trials and treatments in record time.

The Liverpool CRDC, funded as part of a £100M government private investment initiative, will support the rapid set-up of commercial studies, meaning patients can begin accessing treatments as part of clinical trials as early as possible.

The Centre, hosted by University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, will bring together Cheshire and Merseyside organisations including primary and social care; voluntary organisations and 10 secondary care organisations from the region, including Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, and the following:

• Liverpool Women’s Hospital (part of UHLG)

• Clatterbridge Cancer Centre

• The Walton Centre 

• Mersey Care 

• Alder Hey Children's Hospital

• Wirral University Teaching Hospital 

• The Countess of Chester 

• Mersey and West Lancashire NHS 

• Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals 

Establishing the CRDC will mean even more studies and treatments will be available in areas including cancer, respiratory illness, obesity, and infectious diseases.

With the introduction of the CRDCs, the government’s aim is to shift from treatment to prevention and this investment will support research into preventative vaccines and medicines, ultimately helping people live healthier lives for longer.

Professor Terry Jones, Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System, who will lead the Liverpool CRDC, said: “We are delighted to be bringing a Commercial Research Delivery Centre to Cheshire and Merseyside, making research accessible to the communities served by our organisations.

“The CRDC will make Cheshire and Merseyside the preferred provider for commercial companies carrying out research, giving patients and participants more opportunities than ever before to take part in research.

“Strengthening and enhancing our current research portfolio, the CRDC will allow us to take research to new heights across the region, building on our already successful research infrastructure”.

Professor Jay Wright, LHCH Director of Research and Consultant Cardiologist, said: "This is great news for LHCH and every hospital in the Cheshire and Merseyside region. The research directors have worked collaboratively to secure this funding which should facilitate new pharmacological research and bring new treatments to our patients at the earliest stage of development. This will improve healthcare outcomes and generate income and prestige."

Jenny Crooks, Deputy Managing Director of Liverpool Health Partners (LHP), who supported Professor Jones in bringing the partners together, commented: "This achievement reflects the strength of collaboration across the Cheshire and Merseyside healthcare research ecosystem. LHP are a partnership between the research – intensive universities and NHS trusts across Liverpool.

“We are proud to have played a key role in aligning partners and securing this opportunity to increase funding and increase the access to vital research and innovative treatment for the patients and public across Cheshire and Merseyside.”

Studies show that research-active hospitals and organisations achieve better health outcomes for patients, due to better understanding of the effects of treatments, ongoing care and monitoring as part of a research study.

The CRDC collaborative will allow health and research programmes across the region to continue to build on ground-breaking research, supported by specialist services.

More information on research at LHCH