PATIENTS in Thurrock and wider south Essex with cancer and liver conditions are among those to benefit from new research equipment and facilities, thanks to a £900,000 grant from a national research body.

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust has received the large funding award from the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) to purchase advanced equipment, research spaces and a community hub to carry out the latest medical research, including liver conditions and lung cancer.

The facilities, which will be purchased over a three-year period, will include a mobile research unit in which research activities and trials can be carried out, such as for vaccines. Patients with lung cancer will benefit from new biopsy equipment that will help provide targeted investigations before patients receive their cancer treatment. 

Meanwhile, those with early-stage liver conditions can also have ultrasound scans using the latest technology, known as FibroScan, to help them access new treatments in development.

These will be used during local, national and international medical research studies to test new and innovative medical treatments, helping to develop the abilities of NHS staff to treat their patients in mid and south Essex with the most up to date treatments.

Keira Pudge, Operations Manager for Research, said: "We're delighted to be receiving this funding to invest in valuable specialist equipment. This will allow us to provide more opportunities for our patients to participate in research and access new innovative treatments".

When it is not being used to advance the latest in medical research, the equipment will also be used to provide scans and checks on patients, providing better diagnoses for their conditions. 

The equipment will be used across mid and south Essex and treat those in harder-to-reach places.

Tracey Camburn, Lead Research Nurse at the Trust, said: "We are thrilled to receive this funding for a mobile unit that will benefit our local population within mid and south Essex, giving patients access to research opportunities out in the community".

Alongside the mobile unit, a new community research facility will also be built in Basildon. The Social Spark Hub will provide space for the public, health professionals and researchers to work together on research projects. They will focus on solutions to health issues being designed through partnerships, innovations and new business ideas that will benefit the health and wellbeing of local communities. It will support disadvantaged communities, empowering them to work with health and public health professionals to meet their needs.

Jenny Garrett, Senior Project Manager at the Trust, said: "We are delighted to receive this funding, which will help us to engage communities as equal partners in all stages of the research process.

"Through our innovative approach to partnership working, we can help these communities thrive and develop community-led solutions and social businesses to find solutions to the health challenges that matter most to them."