Work starts on £3m unit

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust announced that work has started the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Facility (CRF) development which will transform the care available for patients taking part in clinical trials.

Based in Bexley Wing on the St James’s University Hospital site, the new facility will double the amount of space available for research trials, provide a more spacious, more comfortable and better equipped environment for patients.

Professor Chris Twelves, CRF Clinical Director, says: “Patients taking part in clinical trials give up precious time to contribute to health research and innovation for future patient and public benefit.

“The new, state-of-the-art CRF will transform the experience of patients taking part in clinical trials.

“The new development will also help us to take on more trials, which means we’ll be able to offer more and more patients from Leeds and across the region access to new emerging technologies and medication.”

The Leeds CRF, a designated National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) facility, will comprise 18 patient chair/beds treatment delivery area, consulting rooms and supportive clinical care space to deliver high quality outpatient, day case and inpatient treatment and care.

Professor Twelves added: “Several thousand patients take part in early experimental clinical trials supported by the CRF at LTHT every year, and many will visit our facilities a number of times over a period of months to receive novel treatments or interventions and enable close safety observation.

“Our patients provide us with very positive feedback.”