Three Lanarkshire Hospitals seal University Hospital Status
Lanarkshire’s three new University hospitals received the seal of approval on Friday, November 17 at the official unveiling of its signage to celebrate the landmark deal between Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) and NHS Lanarkshire.
University Hospital Monklands, University Hospital Hairmyres, and University Hospital Wishaw will mark a new era in the region’s healthcare as patients will benefit from greater access to teaching, learning and robust research as university hospitals.
GCU Deputy Vice-Chancellor Strategy Professor James Miller and Dean of the School of Health and Life Sciences Vincent McKay joined senior NHS representatives at the hospital sites.
Other hospitals have signed similar partnerships with universities in recent years to strengthen their patient care.
University hospital status will give NHS Lanarkshire access to Glasgow Caledonian University’s School of Health and Life Sciences which is among the top 20 universities in the UK for health research in stroke, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, HIV, sexual health, drug use and misuse.
The University works across 15 health, life sciences and social work disciplines in areas such as physiotherapy, nursing, occupational therapy, nutrition and dietetics, and vision sciences, and by working in partnership, key health challenges in the region will be targeted.
World-leading experts in public health and the management of long-term conditions such as Professor Dawn Skelton, Professor in Ageing and Health, a specialist in exercise intervention to reduce falls and promote active ageing, will work side-by-side with staff, where patient care is backed by robust research that will help to inform practice and benefit local patients.
Already initiatives underway include measures to reduce waiting for patients with improved access to healthcare and treatment delivered by GCU Physiotherapists at the University’s Clinic.
Professor Pamela Gillies CBE FRSE, GCU Principal and Vice-Chancellor, said: "This development recognises our international reputation in applied health research, particularly within public health and the management of long-term health conditions.
“Patients will benefit from care and intervention that is underpinned and enhanced by robust research, and I am delighted that we can deliver on our social mission as the University for the Common Good through this initiative.”
The signage was unveiled at the three university hospitals in Monklands, Wishaw General and Hairmyres Hospitals to NHS Lanarkshire senior executives and members from the University. The strategic partnership was signed in by the University in April 2017 and, more recently, UWS has joined this landmark partnership agreement.
Pictured above, pre-reg MSc Physiotherapy students Chelsea Windl and Paul Griffin, who recently completed their placements at NHS Lanarkshire.