Specialist neurosciences trust achieves University status

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust has become the newest member of the University Hospital Association.

University hospitals are specialty trusts with significant involvement in research and education. Their research puts them at the forefront of developments in care and connections with industry, while their work in education makes them central to providing the future workforce.

The Walton Centre is the country’s only specialist neurosciences hospital, providing comprehensive neurology, neurosurgery, spinal, pain management and rehabilitation services at our site in Liverpool, and in satellite clinics across the north west and North Wales.

Jan Ross, Chief Executive, The Walton Centre, said being awarded the status was recognition of the Trust’s commitment to research and education.

“The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust plays a significant role in the delivery of research for the benefit of patients with neurological, spinal, and pain conditions across the UK.

“We have a bespoke clinical trials facility, the Neuroscience Research Centre on site, established in 1994. Our research output is substantial with over 450 publications featuring medical and clinical staff from The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust during the year 2021/2022.

“We also play a critical role in ensuring collaborative academic working across the four universities within the Mersey region as none of them have a distinct neuroscience department. This includes the Trust’s sponsorship of the Liverpool Neuroscience Group, a regional partnership encompassing academic, research and clinical representatives.”

Research and innovation, and education, training and learning are two of the strategic ambitions in the Trust’s new three-year strategy.

The Walton Centre has a proud tradition of delivering high-quality clinical neuroscience research, in collaboration with our local universities and commercial partners, to improve patient outcomes and experiences. Our clinicians have research expertise in areas including epilepsy, neuroinflammatory disease, neurological infections, neuro-oncology, spinal disorders, pain and neurodegenerative disease. During the pandemic, clinicians from The Walton Centre led UK research into the neurological manifestations of COVID-19.

We are also a national leader in neurosciences education and training, and one of the leading providers of medical education in neuroscience in the UK and beyond. We have close links with universities in north west England and North Wales, and deliver training of the highest standard to the next generation of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals. We receive consistently excellent feedback from undergraduate medical students and in the General Medical Council (GMC) trainee survey.