Our research
The Central London Patient Safety Research Collaboration is delivering world-class research into improving the safety of Surgical, Perioperative, Acute and Critical carE services (SPACE) services, including at the transitions of care with the community.
We have four themes of work within two clusters of activity. Our LEARNING CLUSTER will used mixed methods approaches to evaluate the safety of new approaches to care (Safer Services theme). We will also learn from current/recent episodes of care, in order to identify and spread good practice and avoid future harm (Safer Organisations). Our INNOVATION CLUSTER will create new approaches to safety. We will develop and evaluate the effectiveness of new approaches to predicting clinical deterioration and other adverse outcomes from clinical care (Safer Scoring). We will develop and evaluate new patient safety interventions, and introduce and evaluate innovative, digitally-based approaches to improving the science underpinning what we do (Safer evidence). The two clusters will work synergistically to ensure that our own innovations are evaluated both formatively and during/after implementation.
Learning
cluster
Safer Services
This theme evaluates the implementation and impact of major service changes which have been nationally advocated. We will focus on changes in SPACE pathways as these cross boundaries between primary and secondary care, and are high risk, high acuity environments.
Safer Organisations
The aim of this theme is to understand barriers to and enablers of organisational safety. By using mixed methods (surveys, interviews and where appropriate, quantitative methods) it will evaluate the impact of several high-profile patient safety reports on care and outcomes.
Innovation cluster
Safer Innovation
The NHS Long Term plan envisions a digital transformation of health care that integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital health technologies. Our collaborative leads this field with bedside clinical and operational decision support, digitally embedded trials, and wireless monitoring. We will pair the digital innovations with collaborations in behavioural, anthropology and implementation science. The research then becomes relevant and impactful to both staff and patients.
Safer Scoring
This theme will focus on two distinct areas of clinical risk scoring, using distinct types of datasets and a range of research methods (machine learning, traditional regression statistics, and mixed methods evaluations). Our aim will be to develop and validate improved methods for risk prediction, and implementation and impact studies of their deployment, particularly focusing on narrowing health inequalities including those associated with deprivation and protected characteristics.