Clinical Services Department
Medical Research Council
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
The Clinical Services Department exists to support clinical research at the Unit by providing primary health care to staff and their family members, medical care to study participants, primary health care to the population of West Kiang, and access to paediatric and internal medical services to the general public. Both outpatient and inpatient services are offered at the Fajara site. The Department supports research with specific clinical skills, such as ultrasound, GI endoscopy and bronchoscopy. More intensive studies are hosted in the ward. Alongside this, the Department supports local healthcare training institutions by providing clinical attachments to all levels of nursing students, medical students and doctors in training. The department focuses on Quality Improvement in healthcare, with an active programme of projects aimed to improve the care delivered in the department. A suite of guidelines have been developed and are publicly available. We have developed an electronic medical record system, which enables us to record clinical activity for day-to-day operational reasons, but also gives us access to data that can be used to improve quality and to better understand the conditions seen in the Department. The Department hosts small research projects which answer questions that arise during clinical practice. Examples have included studies of the relationship between respiratory illness and air quality, validation of a locally produced buffer for a point of care test and a study of antimicrobial usage. Collaborations are sought with organisations and individuals who can further the objectives of the Department, particularly when they are able to offer skills which are not currently found within the Department.
8.1 Organisation and delivery of services / Unit