Primary care research networks may herald new collaborations

doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7493.733

BMJ 2005;330:733 (26 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7493.733

Letter

Primary care research networks may herald new collaborations

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Chen and Majeed provide useful suggestions forhow primary care research networks can work more closely withprimary care trusts.¹ This approach to joint working is likelyto lead to more relevant research and better implementationof research findings.

"Pathways for Research" is an innovative development in whichthe South East London Strategic Health Authority and its sixconstituent primary care trusts work closely together with secondarycare, higher education institutions, and primary care researchnetworks. This initiative has been driven by the local NHS inrecognition of the place of local and national research in underpinningand evaluating improvements in primary and community healthcare and the need to stimulate effective, relevant, and broadlybased health services research. If successful this will providea useful model of how such NHS led collaborations can work tothe benefit of all.

Other opportunities exist to strengthen further the research. . . [Full text of this article]

Roger Jones, professor of general practice and primary care

Department of General Practice and Primary Care, GKT School of Medicine, London SE11 6SP patricia.taylor@kcl.ac.uk

Adrian Eddleston, chair, Pathways for Research

South East London Strategic Health Authority, London SE1 7NT

Gill Rowlands, director, STaRNet

Department of Community Health Sciences, St George's Hospital Medical School, London SW17 0RE