Groundbreaking research

Over the last couple of years, Hampshire Hospitals has invested in creating dedicated space for research and innovation to take place within the heart of its very own hospital walls and healthcare scientists are now working on behalf on the NHS to conduct research that will help improve services across the country.

Scope for their work is wide and varied but the team based at the molecular hub is currently looking into infectious diseases such as Covid-19. The space enables healthcare scientists to research the genetic material found in the virus, track the spread, how it’s changing and how those changes could affect patients and staff.

Stephen Kidd, lead healthcare scientist at Hampshire Hospitals, says: “The molecular hub will enable us to position ourselves at the cutting edge of research and innovation within the NHS, to help improve the patient journey and experience within our services.

“It also highlights the passion Hampshire Hospitals has to keep pushing the boundaries and thinking outside of the box when it comes to delivering high quality responsive tailored care for our patients.”

At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, staff at Hampshire Hospitals worked around the clock to develop and design a new way of testing asymptomatic patients and staff through saliva, a method that was soon adopted by other NHS organisations across the country.

The Molecular Hub team at Hampshire Hospitals.