About NIHR ARC Northwest London

Our Mission

"To improve outcomes for patients and public; improve quality, delivery and efficiency of health and care services; increase the sustainability of health and care systems locally and nationally." - National Institute for Health and Care Research

The NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Northwest London (NIHR ARC NWL) undertakes high-quality applied health and care research and works across local health and care systems to close the second translational gap by supporting the implementation of research while working collectively with ARCs in other parts of England to ensure national impact. 

NIHR ARC NWL launched in October 2019, we are part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and hosted by Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust with Imperial College London as our main academic partner. 

Our programme is conducted via four research themes and three cross-cutting themes with the overarching goal is to build sustainable infrastructure for a continual improvement in health behaviours and population health, and a reduction in health inequalities for the people of Northwest London. 

Quote and image from ARC NWL Director Azeem Majeed: “The NHS in North West London faces major challenges. The new NIHR Applied Research Collaboration will bring together health and care organisations, universities, local government, and patient and public groups in NW London together to help develop and evaluate interventions to meet these challenges. This will include new models of working such as integrated care and new informatics resources that will provide better information on the health of our local population. We are very excited about the opportunities the programme will build and grateful to all our partners for their support.”

NIHR London ARCs

Map highlighting Northwest London, South London & North Thames

NIHR ARC NWL is one of the three London ARCs. We join ARC North Thames and ARC South London in responding to and meeting the needs of London's local populations and local health and care systems.

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About Applied Research Collaborations

NIHR Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) support applied health and care research that responds to, and meets, the needs of local populations and local health and care systems.

These 15 local partnerships between NHS providers, universities, charities, local authorities, Academic Health Science Networks and other organisations also undertake implementation research to increase the rate at which research findings are implemented into practice.

The ARCs, announced in July 2019,  aim to improve outcomes for patients and the public; improve the quality, delivery and efficiency of health and care services; and increase the sustainability of the health and care system both locally and nationally.

The ARCs undertake research on a number of areas of need highlighted by the NIHR Futures of Health report, including: the challenges of an ageing society; multimorbidity; and the increasing demands placed on our health and care system.

The £135 million five-year funding also aims to deliver national-level impact through significant collaboration between the ARCs, with individual ARCs providing national leadership within their fields of expertise.

Quote from Lesley Watts Chelsea & Westminster CEO: “ This investment by the Government is excellent news, not only to Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust as a host organisation, but to our partners, our patients and our staff. The funding presents a real opportunity for collaborative working, making a difference to our patients locally and nationally. As we strive to be the best Foundation Trust we can be, we know that we must invest in new models of care, built around the strongest evidence base. Our long term plans are focused on working with partners to support the population in and out of hospital; to ensure they have access to the right care, in the right place, at the right time. But to do this we must understand more about the population, about their care needs and how they want their healthcare system to work for them. As a centre for innovation we need to continue to embrace new technology and share best practice with our colleagues and partners internally and externally. Being a part of this collaboration will enable us to meet the changing needs of the population we serve, in a realistic timescale. We look forward to working with each of the partners across the network and being a part of such vital research.”

ARCs and AHSNs collaborating to support post-pandemic priorities

The NHS Insights Prioritisation Programme (NIPP) was set up to accelerate the evaluation and implementation of promising innovations – selected for their potential to support the evolution of post-pandemic ways of working, build service resilience and deliver ongoing benefits to patients. ARCs and Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) received £4.2m for collaborative projects.  

In collaboration with Imperial College Health Partners NIHR ARC NWL's NIPP project focuses on  Improving early identification and management of chronic kidney disease.

NIHR ARCs in England

Map of the NIHR ARCS across England

Click the link above to explore each ARC location, their host NHS organisation and research priorities.

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