Mackenzie Clinical Research Institute

The Mackenzie Clinical Research Institute will :

• offer part-time doctoral posts
• develop collaborative programmes of research between academic partners, such as Schools of Dentistry, Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, and other community-based health providers informed by the needs of the health community
• contribute to the regional, national and international development of the primary care academic agenda by planned activities such as hosting international conferences
• develop academic career paths from trainees to senior scientists, in collaboration with NHS partners and Health Education England
• establish a critical mass of healthcare academics (clinical and primary healthcare scientists) in order to contribute to the collective work of UCLan to develop, deliver and support workforce for health and social care across Lancashire and Cumbria.

Current Projects

Short-term Psycho-Education for Carers to Reduce Over Medication of people with intellectual disabilities (SPECTROM).

This is a Department of Health, UK (National Institute for Health Research, NIHR) funded study in relation to STOMP. Stopping Over Medication of People with intellectual disability, autism or both (STOMP) is an NHS England initiative in the UK. The idea is to develop a Psychoeducational programme (PEP) for the care (support) staff. The PEP will have two components, namely (a) web or paper-based modules, and (b) face to face training sessions. https://spectrom.wixsite.com/project

Personalised treatment packages for adults with learning disabilities who display aggression in community settings (PerTA-LD)
https://www.fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR200120

The aim of the 66 month programme is to develop and test a personalised treatment package for adults with learning disability who display aggression. 10-25% of adults with mild to severe learning disability display aggression. This behaviour affects their quality of life, leading to exclusion from social networks and community facilities including access to healthcare. Better understanding of the causes of an individual s aggressive behaviour and coproducing a personalised treatment package could make a significant difference to their quality of life.

Central and East Lancashire Next Generation GP Leadership programme
To start in early May 2020.

View event flyer

The programme aims are as follows:

• ENERGISE: through access to the personal experiences, perspectives and expertise of inspiring leaders.
• ENGAGE: through a supportive network of like-minded local trainees and early career GPs.
• EMPOWER: through a series of workshops and presentations designed to increase GPs ability to shape care within and beyond their clinical organisations.

Colleagues linked to this project include:
Dr Nicola Cooper-Moss

DECISIONS: Development of a Comprehensive Intervention to Support Individuals with anticoagulation to prevent Stroke

Stroke is now the fourth most common cause of death in the UK and the main cause of severe disability, with an estimated annual cost to the NHS of £3 billion for emergency, acute, rehabilitation, and long-term care. Conditions which put people at an increased risk of developing a blood clot, and consequently experiencing a stroke, can be successfully managed using oral anticoagulation (OAC) medicines, also known as ‘blood thinners’.

Find out more about this project : https://www.uclan.ac.uk/research/explore/projects/decisions.php

ENERGY project

Around 70% of children and adolescents with mental health problems have not had interventions at a sufficiently early age. National organizations have urged the implementation of programs to improve mental wellbeing in adolescents. Enhancing Emotional Resilience and Growth in Young People (ENERGY) is a multi-disciplinary collaborative project with the goal to bridge the gap between scientific validity and real-life application in community settings with young people. The ENERGY project aims to translate scientific knowledge into evidenced-based prevention programs that can help young people be more resilient and less vulnerable to developing mental health problems. We aim to work closely with young people themselves to design and deliver a programme that will empower young people and enable them to respond effectively to daily life challenges. We work with young people in Lancashire in the development and delivery of an emotional resilience program in collaboration with a Primary Care network of General Practices, schools, and community centres.

Members of the team
Dr Georgia Chronaki
Dr Karen Whittaker

GP perceptions of community-based children’s mental health services: a qualitative study

GP satisfaction with children’s mental health services is often reported as low, with many barriers to accessing specialist help described. There has been an increase in children’s Primary Mental Health Worker (PMHW) provision in the UK as part of CAMHS transformation, with a view to supporting the integration of children’s mental services.

There is little research on the impact of PMHWs working with GPs – the principal referrers to local children’s mental health services.. This study explores GPs’ perceptions of children’s mental health services in Pennine Lancashire, and the impact of a novel GP-attached PMHW service.

Colleagues linked to this project include:
Prof. Umesh Chauhan
Dr Alison Doherty
Dr Dush Mahadevan at East Lancashire Hospital Trust

Improving Access to priMary care for People with Autism and Learning disabilities (I Am PAL)

People with autism, learning disabilities or both experience health inequalities. They are more likely than their non-disabled peers to experience higher rates of nearly all major medical disorders including: cardiovascular disease, epilepsy, gastrointestinal disorders, vision and hearing impairments, hypertension, asthma, and others, across all age groups. They also encounter obstacles when accessing healthcare services. Obstacles include (but are not limited to): a lack of training for health professionals; data collection issues; and a lack of reasonable adjustments. Without intervention, there is an increased risk of further mental health and physical health conditions. The project aims to explore interventions to improve access to (and utilisation of) primary health care services for people with autism and learning disabilities.

Colleagues linked to this project include:
Professor Umesh Chauhan
Dr Alison Doherty

News and Events

Annual Mackenzie Lecture Series

The Annual Mackenzie Lecture Series commences in September 2019. Please register your interest at PGMed@uclan.ac.uk

https://www.uclan.ac.uk/news/top-health-experts-address-local-healthcare-needs.php
https://www.uclan.ac.uk/research/explore/projects/undergraduate_research_internship_scheme.php

The Society for Academic Primary Care’s Regional/North Conference
28 – 29 November 2019, UCLan Preston

The regional SAPC conference for the North will take place on UCLan’s main campus in Preston on 28th and 29th of November 2019. The SAPC conferences are the main venues for discussing improvements in Primary Care provision in the UK. The Society provides a clear voice for Academic Primary Care in the complex and ever-changing Primary Care environment and offers a point of reference and contact for those seeking academic solutions to the problems in Primary Care and working for the advancement of Academic Primary Care.

Dr James Mackenzie

Dr Mackenzie began working in Burnley as general practitioner in 1879, developing an international reputation for his work in clinical research.  A significant part of his GP practice included domiciliary obstetrics (home births) and when an apparently well woman, under his care, died suddenly of heart failure in the first stage of labour he was both shocked and sought to understand why.  As a result of this tragic situation, he asked himself: ‘Would this death have occurred if I had a better knowledge of heart afflictions?’.  He made it his life’s work to study and research the function of the heart and treatment of heart problems.

Following his observations and investigations, he discovered that the most appropriate form of early diagnosis was provided by observation of the jugular venous pulse (JVP) and he created a machine known as ‘Dr Mackenzie’s Ink Polygraph’ to measure the pulse. This innovation was the precursor to cardiac monitoring, and ultimately the electrocardiogram (ECG).

At the height of his fame, having become established as a cardiologist in London, he returned to his native Scotland and established an Institute of Clinical Research attached to St Andrews University which continued his work up until the 1940s.

Dr Mackenzie established the foundations of cardiology.  Most importantly these stemmed from his observations in general practice, and in the community. Mackenzie’s believed that medicine should be studied in the communities that doctors work, as he felt that doctors were well equipped to provide the basis of medical research.

It is the vision of Sir James Mackenzie that General Practitioners are in the best position to carry out medical research in the community. So, we have encapsulated his ideas in our newly established Institute at the heart of the community in Burnley run by locally-based GPs and academics. The opportunities to address the everyday problems faced in modern general practice are enormous and we are excited and privileged to be able to do this.