Ulster University’s School of Medicine is set to lead on two North West consortiums tackling common health-related issues within communities.
Of the two projects, one will deliver an obesity management service for adults with Type 2 diabetes; and the second, delivered from the Personalised Medicine centre within the School of Medicine, will deliver care pathways that optimise medication prescriptions in the North West.
PEACETIME will deliver specialist obesity care to 9000 people living with obesity related diabetes in the rural and urban communities of the North West.
Research currently suggests that health complications of obesity and the current difficulties accessing the correct care, threaten the prosperity of local communities, and are a barrier to them reaching their full potential.
Working with partners, Atlantic Technological University (ATU), the Derry GP Federation, Irish Coalition for People Living with Obesity,
National Institute for Prevention and Cardiovascular Health, and MyPatientSpace, PEACETIME will bring personalised treatment plans from hospital into the community, benefitting people in counties Derry/Londonderry, Tyrone, Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim.
Also working throughout communities across the North West and Scotland, iMPROVE – (Innovation in person-centred Medication Prescribing and Review for Optimal Value and Efficacy) – will develop a care pathway for the management of medicines that will review and tailor treatments to an individual’s genetic make-up. This can ensure the correct dose and type of drug is used and can avoid medications which may cause unwanted side-effects.
It is estimated that 7% of hospital admissions across the UK are because of adverse drug reactions to prescribed medication, resulting in significant strain on the health service.
Partnering with GP services in counties Donegal, Sligo, Derry and Tyrone, along with Tayside in Scotland, the Medicines Optimisation Innovation Centre (MOIC), Belfast Health and Social Care Trust (BHSCT) , Scottish Government Effective Prescribing Division , and Atlantic Technological University (ATU), Ulster University’s School of Medicine will implement care pathways to optimise the prescribing of medications for 10,000 people, improve community accessibility needs and reduce the burden on primary care.
Tim
“We are delighted to work with partners in healthcare and the community to deliver vital specialist care for people in the North West. Working alongside patients and GP services on the ground in these areas, we will implement cutting-edge methods and technologies that will transform healthcare for individuals affected by both obesity related Type 2 Diabetes and the adverse effects of prescribed medications.”
David
“This is an exciting project as it’s the first time on the Island of Ireland that drug-gene testing (pharmacogenomics) will be used to tailor pain, depression and heart disease medications to the individual. The study will provide important evidence of the benefits of the novel approach to patients and prescribers, to inform sustainable mainstreaming.”
Alex
“It is not possible to treat a disease like obesity that affects more than 20% of the population in the hospital. This project will take the first critical step in shifting obesity care to the community and is one of the first in its kind. The scientific data generated will guide future healthcare policy in the UK, Europe and beyond.”
iMPROVE and PEACETIME are supported by the PEACEPLUS Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).