The University of Reading, the Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals Trust, and the six Primary Care Trusts in Berkshire have collaborated to produce a new focus on health and social care in Reading.

In August 2003, Margot Gosney was recruited from the University of Liverpool, where she had been Senior Lecturer for seven years and had contributed hugely to undergraduate training and research, to be the inaugural Professor of Elderly Care Medicine – based in the School of Food Biosciences. Margot is well known to many of us for her roles in the national BGS, including her time as Meetings Secretary and now as Acting Treasurer. In February, she was joined by a Senior Lecturer, Dr David Oliver, formerly Lead Clinician in Elderly Care Medicine at Queen Mary’s, Sidcup and also active in the Society in the Falls and Bone Health Section Steering Group, as a Sub Editor of Age and Ageing, and whilst in South Thames David was Honorary Secretary of the Regional BGS. He is based in the Centre for Primary Care and Public Health. Both David and Margot also hold honorary NHS contracts in the busy service in Reading, joining Drs Pearson, Van Wyk and Hussain, which is due to consolidate onto the new build site at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in 2005. All partner organisations have seen the appointments and the alliance as a way of fostering research and teaching in the Trust, and offering opportunities for clinical research for the University, as well as enhancing quality in the acute service. There are a wide range of developments in intermediate care in the locality, which will aid the integration of research into clinical practice.

In March, Christina Victor – well known to many of us in the Society, joined from St George’s as the Professor of Social Gerontology Health and Services Research. She is also Research Director at the School of Health and Social Care.

These appointments added to the recent expansion in Health and Social Care with the appointment of Jim Connelly from Leeds as Professor of Public Health, Jan Keene as Chair of Primary Care and Sally Richards as Lecturer in Social Work, to augment the existing team. Further appointments are planned in biomedical statistics and health economics.

In 2005, there is a plan for a School of Health Studies and Pharmacy on a site close to the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

These alliances differ from those in traditional medical schools in several respects. Margot and David are the first clinical academics in Reading and therefore a species the University is still getting used to! In contrast to most other Professors and Senior Lecturers they do not work in the same academic department but they do spy each other in the hospital where their clinical offices are opposite each other! Also, the centre for Primary Care and Public Health is half funded by the local NHS and deals with various aspects of education, training and research consultancy with local partner organisations. Finally, the wider university campus offers partnerships with business, building design, cybernetics, law, psychology and nutrition in gerontological research.

The well known AGENET and EQUAL are well represented by their founder Prof Peter Lansley.

Current research themes include falls, fractures and their prevention, nutrition in older people, inequalities in healthcare, vulnerable adults as well as active research in psychology, linguistics and animal microbiology.

Whilst we are a newly formed research group we welcome collaboration with other centres.

Dr David Oliver
Prof Margot Gosney