23/03/2004

£100m cash boost for NHS mental health research

The NHS will receive an extra £100 million over the next four years for research into Alzheimer's, stroke, diabetes and mental health, the government has announced today.

The extra money for research and development was announced in last week's Budget, and will bring combined government spending on medical research to £1.2 billion. The funding will also help to develop new medicines for children.

Health Secretary John Reid said that the cash boost was the largest ever sustained increase in research funding.

"Investment in research saves lives - that is why the government wishes to make Britain the best place for R&D and innovation in the world," he said.

"I wish to ensure that the NHS's contribution to medical research is one of the centre pieces of that."

The funding will concentrate on research into three of the most common diseases amongst older patients - stroke, diabetes and Alzheimer's; bring together existing paediatric research centres to deliver faster progress in developing drugs for children; and expand the research network within the National Institute of Mental Health to help relieve the distress of the mentally ill.

The creation of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration will bring together the NHS, Medical Research Council, medical charities and industry to speed up the process of bringing new medicines and treatments from the laboratory to the patient's bedside.

This will give more patients the chance to take part in clinical trials and help more people benefit from the latest scientific advances, Dr Reid said.

(gmcg)

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