Dr Patrick Geoghegan Health & Wellbeing Academy Launched

The Dr Patrick Geoghegan Health & Wellbeing Academy was launched on Monday 7 October, a joint initiative between South Essex Partnership University NHS Trust (SEPT) and Anglia Ruskin University’s (ARU), Postgraduate Medical Institute (PMI).

The academy was named in honour of Dr Geoghegan after he announced his retirement from SEPT earlier in the year and his career was celebrated in an evening event attended by former and current staff to look back on Patrick’s career and achievements.

Esther Rantzen, CBE, Patron of the Academy paid a video tribute to Patrick during the evening saying “It’s a brilliant idea to bring all these skills and resources under one roof; devoted to researching ways to making people better, sooner and more effectively and I’m proud to be a part of it. It is a fitting tribute to a man that demonstrated such passion and commitment to the very best care for patients and his contribution to the NHS is not to be underestimated. Patrick is held in very high esteem by friends and colleagues alike and I’m glad I will have the opportunity to work with him on future projects”.

The role of the Academy is to bring together teams of researchers who are committed to practical, real-world research into health and wellbeing that will provide information to influence clinical practice and policy at a local, national and international level.

The academy will host a joint research office (JRO) which will support all aspects of research within SEPT and will be the first fully evolved JRO between an NHS Partnership Trust and a University in UK.

In the longer term, it is envisaged that the inclusion of patients and carers in health and well-being research will ensure that there is a clear and unique focus for the work of the Academy which will enable it to compete successfully for funding and other resources in the future.

 -ENDS-