Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

As we celebrate the 76th anniversary of the NHS, we want to look back at our own history and the people who have helped to shape our trust. Thank you to everyone who has given their expertise and time to the NHS or our partners, like the Royal Free Charity. We truly couldn't do it without you. #RFLFamily

A physicist at the Royal Free Hospital has been awarded a grant to carry out research using a revolutionary new scanner. The positron emission tomography (PET) scanner creates a three-dimensional picture of the whole body in one go and allows doctors to see how tumours and organs are functioning. Because the new machine, which was installed in March, can deliver a much lower dose of radiation to patients, while scanning faster and producing better quality images, it will allow new avenues of research using PET scans to be carried out for the first time. One trial already being considered is scanning healthy people at high risk of developing lung cancer as the low dose of radiation minimises the risk of harm. The new scanner could also help determine whether colon polyps need to be removed. It is currently difficult to tell if they are cancerous or not and so the standard approach is to remove them. But the scanner – which is 11 times more sensitive than the latest standard machines – might be able to show whether the polyps are benign, saving patients from unnecessary procedures. As well as opening up new avenues of research, the lower dose of radiation means that pregnant women with cancer can also be scanned with low risk to them and their unborn child, helping doctors to make more informed decisions about the best course of action. Beverley Holman PhD, diagnostic nuclear medicine and PET CT physics lead for the trust, received the senior clinical and practice research award from the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR). The award enables Beverley to carry out research for two days a week over the next five years, starting in September. Beverley said: “Being able to do research using the new scanner was always our aim and there are so many potential applications for the scanner – the sky’s the limit. This is a hugely exciting time for this area of research and I’m delighted we’ve been given this funding. “This is a chance for lots of people across the trust to get involved. It will also enable people in my team to take part in research with everyone working together to improve patient care.” It is anticipated these research projects and many others could quickly lead to changes in current working practices across many departments. The Royal Free London hosts one of the busiest cancer services in the NHS, receiving almost 50,000 referrals each year and cancer care forms a key pillar of the trust’s clinical vision. Beverley will also be working with the National PET imaging platform (NPIP). Launched in 2023 NPIP is the UK’s first-of-its-kind national total-body PET platform for drug discovery. As a collaborative partner to NPIP’s national network, the Royal Free London will conduct clinical and research work that can be shared with the network.

Chase Farm Hospital and our group clinical services support patients across north central London, providing them with access to planned surgery and ensuring they can get prompt access to diagnostic services no matter which of our hospitals or sites they visit. Chase Farm Hospital is one of NHS England’s eight elective surgical hubs and a leading centre for planned surgery across north central London, delivering high standards in clinical care. Learn more about our local clinical priorities for Chase Farm Hospital and group clinical services here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eycN3d-x

Barnet Hospital treats one of the largest elderly populations in London and the borough has more than 100 care homes. We will build on our expertise, helping people to age well and prevent frailty, becoming a leading example within north central London and beyond with a focus on expanding services, research and innovation. People are now living longer and experiencing more long term and complex health conditions. This means it is vital for us to work with our partners in primary, community and social care settings to address all aspects of our patients’ health. It’s essential that pathways between different care providers are seamless, improving patient experience and getting the best possible outcomes for patients of all ages. Click here to learn more about Barnet Hospital's clinical priorities 👇 https://lnkd.in/eWRvYAPY

Huge congratulations to our former colleague Professor Paul Griffiths, who has been named an MBE in the King's Birthday Honours for services to virology. 👏 Paul worked for many years at the Royal Free Hospital and is a leading expert in the field of virology, specialising in cytomegalovirus.

As part of our new clinical strategy, we’re also setting out three group-wide clinical priorities: cancer; cardiovascular; and organ failure and transplantation. We play a leading role in these areas within north central London and beyond, and they have a significant impact on the health of our local populations.

Introducing our new clinical priorities, which will transform the way we deliver care. Our plans are ambitious, but we know they’re achievable and will make a huge difference to our patients and communities. Watch this video to understand what our new clinical strategy could mean for the services we deliver. To learn more, visit our website here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eVvyiBRy

Two Royal Free London doctors said they were ‘honoured’ to have been elected Fellows of the prestigious Academy of Medical Sciences. Professor Chris Denton, consultant rheumatologist and head of the Centre for Rheumatology at the Royal Free Hospital, and Professor Alison Rodger, consultant in infectious diseases at the Royal Free Hospital, are among the 58 biomedical and health scientists to be elected to the academy this year. There are around 1,400 fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences, an independent, expert body which aims to advance biomedical and health research and its translation into benefits for society. Professor Denton chairs The UK scleroderma study group and leads the scleroderma service at the Royal Free Hospital, which cares for more than 1,400 patients across the country. Professor Denton is a professor of experimental rheumatology at UCL’s Division of Medicine. His research focuses on systemic sclerosis, a severe autoimmune rheumatic disease that leads to fibrosis and vascular damage in the skin and internal organs. He said: “It is a great personal honour to be elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and join such an outstanding group of UK medical scientists. This award also recognises several decades in progress in the field of scleroderma (systemic sclerosis), a rare and severe autoimmune condition. The Royal Free London is justifiably recognised as a global leader in this disease and works in close partnership with scientists at UCL to improve outcomes for patients." Professor Rodger’s research focuses on HIV, having led a landmark study finding that people on effective HIV treatment, where the virus is suppressed, have no chance of infecting their partner sexually. The results of this study underpin the global U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) campaign, as well as international guidelines, the UK HIV action plan. The results have also contributed to reducing HIV-related stigma and discrimination, encouraging early testing and treatment, and combatting unjust HIV criminalisation laws. Professor Rodger, who is also professor of infectious diseases at UCL’s Institute for Global Health, is currently principal investigator of a five-year research programme aimed at improving the mental and physical wellbeing in people living with HIV. Beyond HIV, she has also made important contributions to microbiome research in new-borns, inclusion health and COVID-19. She said: “It's a huge honour to be elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. I've been extremely fortunate throughout my career to work with outstanding colleagues in academia, clinical services, public health and importantly from affected communities. I’m very pleased that the work we have done together to support global elimination of HIV transmission and improve health and well-being for people living with HIV is being recognised through this fellowship.”

New research from doctors at the Royal Free Hospital has shown that a ‘boosted’ gene could be a major cause of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), leading to hopes of more effective treatments being developed. IBD is the umbrella term for two diseases of the intestinal tract – Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, with over half a million people living with one of these debilitating conditions in the UK. Despite increasing prevalence, current treatments do not work in every patient and attempts to develop new drugs often fail due to incomplete understanding of what causes IBD. In research published in Nature today, scientists at UCL and the Royal Free London found that a section of DNA works by ‘boosting’ another gene called ETS2, increasing the amount of protein it makes. The section of DNA is only active in a particular type of immune cell, called macrophages, known to be prevalent in the intestine of patients with IBD. The researchers believe that the boosted ETS2 gene is directly responsible for the inflammation and tissue damage in those patients. The researchers discovered that some existing drugs, currently used for non-inflammatory conditions, can ‘switch off’ the ETS2 gene, but these have significant side effects, so are not suitable for the long-term treatment required. Instead, doctors are now looking to develop a new generation of drugs that inhibit the ETS2 gene, without any damaging side effects. Lead researcher James Lee, a consultant gastroenterologist at the Royal Free Hospital and UCL and group leader of the Genetic Mechanisms of Disease laboratory at the The Francis Crick Institute, said: “IBD usually develops in young people and can cause severe symptoms that disrupt education, relationships, family life and employment. We urgently need better treatments for our patients. “Currently the drugs that can switch off the ETS2 gene are not safe enough for people to take long term as they have side effects in other organs. We are working to find a way to deliver these inhibitors directly to macrophages as this could switch off disease and spell relief for millions of people worldwide. While this is still early days, we believe this is an important discovery and a huge step forward.” This research was funded by Crohn's & Colitis UK, the Wellcome Trust, MRC and Cancer Research UK (CRUK). The researchers also worked with the National Institute of Health Research BioResource and collaborators across the UK and Europe.

We are delighted to invite you to our next Medicine for Members’ event, ‘Breast cancer at the Royal Free London: early diagnosis, research and support’, on Monday 10 June at 6pm. This event will showcase the incredible work of our breast screening and cancer teams. The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest cancer services in the NHS, receiving almost 50,000 referrals every year. We receive the most urgent suspected referrals for bowel, skin, gynaecological and breast cancers. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with over 55,000 cases diagnosed each year. One in seven women will develop the disease in their lifetime and one man is diagnosed every day. This event will focus on the importance of early diagnosis including how often and how to check your breasts for the common signs of breast cancer, the ground-breaking research taking place to help us better understand the disease and the vital support that is available to our patients and their loved ones. This includes the brand-new Maggie’s centre within the grounds of the Royal Free Hospital which opened earlier this year. Our expert panel of speakers will also share advice on how you can reduce your risk of breast cancer and debunk some of the common myths around what causes the disease. Attendees will also have the chance to have their questions answered by our panel of speakers during the interactive Q&A. To book your place or to submit a question, please email our membership team at [email protected]. Our Medicine for Members’ events are hosted by our governors and focus on topics which are important to patients, staff and the local community.