Imperial College London and healthcare providers in North West London plan to form a partnership to improve the health and care of the local population of 1.9 million people.

The Academic Health Science Partnership (AHSP) is intended to bring together providers of primary, secondary, tertiary, community and mental healthcare to work with Imperial College London to pursue higher quality care for patients. The partners hope to launch the AHSP formally in April 2012.

The first partnership of its kind in North West London, it will support collaborative approaches to innovating in healthcare. With Imperial College London as an academic partner, the AHSP will present opportunities to conduct clinical trials at a large and meaningful scale and to apply research findings to benefit a greater number of patients. The AHSP could also take a leading role in training and educating healthcare professionals.

The healthcare providers behind plans for the AHSP already deliver a range of world-class services, including the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, mental health conditions and women’s and children’s health. The AHSP would seek to use the expertise of each member to develop a program of innovations that benefit all healthcare across North West London.

Lord Darzi has agreed to be the chairman of the transitional partnership board that will confirm the membership of the AHSP, which may include other healthcare and education partners, and determine its organisational and legal structure. The board will include as members the rector of Imperial College London, the chief executives of the Trusts which have agreed to progress plans, and a GP representative. The AHSP is expected to be launched in April 2012.

The institutions and healthcare providers that have agreed to progress plans for the AHSP are:
Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust
Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Ealing Hospital NHS Trust
Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Imperial College London
North West London Hospitals NHS Trust
Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust
West London Mental Health Trust
West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust