Research facility at Guy's and St Thomas' receives highest accreditation in London

The NIHR Clinical Research Facility (CRF) at Guy’s and St Thomas’ has become the first NHS-managed facility in London, and the second in the UK, to receive a special award recognising its high standards.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has given Phase I accreditation to the Phase 1 Unit of the CRF, which is located at Guy’s Hospital, showing that it meets the highest industry standards for management and for the safety of patients.

Phase 1 units host early clinical trials, when drugs or other treatments are tested on humans for the first time as part of monitored research projects. Being MHRA accredited will allow the Trust to perform clinical trials in patients investigating some of the newest treatments for a wide range of diseases.

Professor Charles Wolfe, Director of Research and Development at Guy’s and St Thomas, said:“The MHRA accreditation demonstrates our commitment to offering our patients access to trials testing the very latest drugs and treatments.

“It is an independent verification that our clinical research facility meets the highest industry standards for management and safety and is another significant milestone in our goal of becoming the UK’s leading research Trust.”

The NIHR CRF at Guy’s and St Thomas’ consists of four units; the MHRA Phase 1 accredited CRF unit at Guy’s, and adult, paediatric and imaging units at St Thomas’. It is managed in conjunction with the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) at Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College London.