07
March
2016
|
09:21
Europe/London
Minister measures health for Manchester’s digital health revolution
Life Sciences Minister George Freeman will today open the new home to the Health eResearch Centre of the Farr Institute at The University of Manchester, creating a North of England hub for some of the world’s best digital and health research.
Vaughan House will be one of the leading venues in the country to develop new technologies that can empower patients to understand and take control over their own healthcare through smartphones, wearable devices and healthcare records.
From citizen science experiments such as www.cloudywithachanceofpain.com (arthritis and weather) to NHS-linked projects such as www.clintouch.com (mental health symptoms and medication), HeRC is helping to connect citizens, patients and care-services for better prevention and care through technology.
Academic, healthcare and business leaders have welcomed the minister to see how Manchester is leading the way in the digital health revolution.
George Freeman will also endorse Greater Manchester Academic Health Science Network’s DataWell project at CityLabs. The project is linking data across different health care organisations to provide an innovative solution to improving both direct clinical care and how patients access information about their healthcare. He will also see how the Manchester Science Partnership is building a new concentration of businesses at the junction of NHS and University sites to incubate growth in the digital health sector.
Life Sciences Minister George Freeman MP said: “It is fantastic to see Manchester playing a central role in developing new 21st century innovations, supported by our annual investment of £1bn through the National Institute for Health Research. By shifting the digital power to patients we are allowing them to monitor their own health through things like wearable devices and apps.
“The Academic Health Science Network is helping to drive forward the Northern Powerhouse in Manchester which is supporting the local needs of the health and social care services.”
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Vast amounts of data are collected every day by health care organisations across Greater Manchester. Used together and responsibly, this is a mine of information which can improve public services, develop new treatments and save time and money
Professor Ian Greer, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences
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Ian Greer, Vice-President and Dean of Medical and Human Science Faculty at The University of Manchester said: “Vast amounts of data are collected every day by health care organisations across Greater Manchester. Used together and responsibly, this is a mine of information which can improve public services, develop new treatments and save time and money.
“Greater Manchester is a leader in this emerging field, so we were very happy that the minister is speaking to us and learn how what we are doing here can be applied further afield.”
Notes for editors
For information on photos and the opening of Vaughan House contact Stephen Melia, Communication Lead, Health eResearch Centre, Tel: 0161 306 7876 / 07557 310 213
For interviews with George Freeman contact Dan Palmer, Senior Press Officer, Department of Health Tel: 0207 7210 5301 / 07900 135 983
The University of Manchester, a member of the prestigious Russell Group, is the UK’s largest single-site university with 38,600 students. It has 20 academic schools and hundreds of specialist research groups undertaking pioneering, multi-disciplinary teaching and research of worldwide significance. The University is one of the country’s major research institutions, rated fifth in the UK in terms of ‘research power’ (REF 2014), and has had no fewer than 25 Nobel laureates either work or study there. The University had an annual income of £1 billion in 2014/15. Visit www.manchester.ac.uk
The Health eResearch Centre (HeRC) is delivering large scale, population wide health research by harnessing the power of information and technology. Led by The University of Manchester and bringing together research excellence across the North of England (in partnership with the universities of Lancaster, Liverpool and York) the Health eResearch Centre is increasing the pace of progress in the UK’s health sector by turning under-used health information into new knowledge. For more information please visit www.herc.ac.uk #datasaveslives
Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP) is a Manchester based public-private partnership and the UK's largest science park operator. It provides the right environments for innovation to flourish - supporting the growth of companies in the biomedical, ICT, industrial technologies, and digital/creative sectors, ranging in size from start-ups to EU HQs an international centres of R&D excellence. It's network of connections between innovators, thinkers, investors and entrepreneurs brings businesses and people together to transform ideas into commercial reality. MSP's shareholders are Bruntwood Ltd, The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Manchester, Cheshire East and Salford City Councils.