NEWS
CHIEF SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR APPOINTMENT
Professor Ian young has been appointed Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.
Professor young will provide leadership across the Health and Social Care (HSC) sector enabling the provision of high quality evidence to improve care for patients, clients and the general population, adding to our knowledge and understanding of health, disease, diagnoses, treatment and care.
One of Professor young’s early priorities will be working with the Research and Development Division of the Public Health Agency and the wider HSC in the delivery and implementation of this Departments Research and Development Strategy, 'Research for Better Health and Social Care'.
This strategy defines the Department’s research priorities for the next 10 years replacing the previous 2007 strategy. The Strategy and accompanying Implementation Plan will soon be with the Minister for his consideration of approval for publication.
As Chief Scientific advisor, Professor young will have an central role in ensuring that Northern Ireland maximises the opportunity for patients, the HSC and Academia following the announcement of Northern Ireland's selection as a Precision Medicine Catapult Centre of Excellence.
Welcoming the appointment, Minister Hamilton said of Professor young, “His scientific knowledge and expertise will be of immense value to me and others in this Department in formulating and developing policy to enhance the health and wellbeing of patients, clients and the population more generally.
"He will be an excellent ambassador for research in Northern Ireland’s health and social care sector. Our reputation for leading edge research continues to grow internationally, and will be enhanced further following the establishment of a Northern Ireland Genomic Medicines Centre, which I announced last week. Ian’s role will be pivotal in ensuring our continued success."
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Belfast to be a Precision Medicine Catapult centre of excellence
The Precision Medicine Catapult has this month announced that Belfast will be one of six initial locations for its regional centres of excellence network, alongside Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester and Oxford.
Each centre will act as a hub for research and development in precision medicine, which uses diagnostic tests and data-based insights to understand a patient’s illness more precisely and select treatments with more predictable, safer and cost-effective outcomes.
Speaking about the announcement, Queen’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Patrick Johnston said, “Queen’s is pleased to be involved in the UK’s new national innovation centre for precision medicine. The decision to establish a regional centre of excellence in Belfast is testament to Northern Ireland’s excellence in terms of research and clinical expertise in precision medicine. Queen’s is already conducting life-changing and life- saving research in this area. We look forward to continuing that important work alongside our partners in the Precision Medicine Catapult to make the UK the most attractive place in the world in which to develop precision medicine tests and therapies.”
Catapults are a UK Government initiative, established and part-funded by Innovate UK, where the best of the UK’s innovative businesses and researchers work together to bring new products and services to commercialisation. The Precision Medicine Catapult was established in April 2015 to harness the breadth of UK expertise, developing innovative technologies and solutions for broader use across the UK’s healthcare sector.
A physical presence will be established at each centre, with local recruitment
to build expert teams. The centres will work collaboratively with local, national and global stakeholders including government, academia, health systems and SMEs, with broad industry engagement to identify and resolve barriers to building a leading UK precision medicine industry.
Chief Medical Officer, Dr Michael McBride added, “Precision medicine allows clinicians to select treatments for patients which are more targeted,
more predictable in terms of response and ultimately safer and more cost- effective. Northern Ireland already has world leading companies and expertise operating in this growing field.
“The location of a Precision Medicine Catapult centre of excellence in Northern Ireland recognises the expertise and innovation that exists within our health and care service and can help ensure that the care we provide to our patients becomes ever more effective.”
Working in general practice
There has been much anticipation about pharmacists working in general medical practices to increase capacity in primary care and offset the shortage of trained GPs (see page 24).
Similar initiatives are expected in Northern Ireland, although no announcement has yet been made. In anticipation of this the Northern Ireland Centre for Pharmacy Learning and Development (NICPLD) has planned a programme for those who are either new to general medical
practice or who have had a limited role in this area, but wish to develop this as a career pathway.
The first stage of the programme consists of 8 workshops that will cover the following areas: • An introduction to working in general practice
• Evidence-based practice and the NI formulary
• Governance and clinical audit • Medication review • Ensuring patient safety • Team working
• Influencing and persuading skills • Prioritising workload.
While timescales are not yet known, NICPLD hope to offer the programme from January – March 2016, i.e. before the next intake of trainee prescribers start their study in April 2016.
The programme will be limited to those who are working, or anticipate working, in general medical practice. Please visit
www.nicpld.org for more details.
Queen’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Patrick Johnston
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