Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust has achieved Teaching Trust status, marking a major milestone in its journey towards becoming a University Hospitals Trust.
The designation reflects the Trust’s growing role in education, research and innovation, and its deepening partnership with Lancaster University, particularly the university’s Faculty of Health and Medicine.
Becoming a Teaching Trust is the first stage in a broader process that requires strong, sustainable partnerships between NHS organisations and academic institutions.
LSCFT has been working closely with Lancaster University as its primary academic partner, building on an already established relationship that spans teaching, research, and workforce development.
Alongside Lancaster, the Trust continues to collaborate with several universities across the region, ensuring a wide network of academic relationships that supports its ambition to achieve University Trust status.
The Trust already plays a significant role in education, hosting students from a range of programmes at Lancaster University, including its Medical School and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.
Many healthcare professionals within the Trust also hold honorary academic roles, contributing to teaching and mentoring across disciplines such as medicine, nursing, social work, and allied health.
Staff from these professions are actively involved in delivering university education and supporting research programmes, helping to build a strong pipeline of future healthcare professionals.
The partnership between the Trust and Lancaster University has also contributed to growing research activity.
Trust clinicians and academics were involved in the successful bid for a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Mental Health Research Group award, strengthening the region’s research capability.
This work is helping to advance evidence‑based practice and ensure that research findings translate into improvements in patient care.
Recognition as a Teaching Trust reflects the breadth and impact of the work already underway across both organisations.
This includes collaboration in key priority areas such as:
- Digital health
- Health inequalities
- Mental health
- Ageing populations
- Children and young people’s health
These shared priorities are aligned with regional needs and national NHS ambitions, helping ensure that education and research activity is directly linked to improved outcomes for patients.
By integrating education, research and service delivery, the organisations aim to support:
- Continuous improvement in care quality
- Innovation in healthcare delivery
- Workforce development and skills growth
- Better health outcomes across Lancashire and South Cumbria
Chris Oliver, Chief Executive at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS FT, said:
“I’m proud to now call us a Teaching Trust. This is so important for our patients, their families and carers, and our colleagues. For our patients and our population, it means we can enhance our commitment to improving population health, using the skills, knowledge, and innovation of educational institutions locally to enhance our patient outcomes. With greater research involvement and evidence-based practice, we will be able to make improvements to deliver the best care for the population we serve.
It is also a really important step for our colleagues, demonstrating our commitment to being an employer of choice, attracting clinical colleagues to our region and our Trust. It signifies our ongoing commitment to developing our workforce and our investment in one of our aims - joy and pride in our work - with the support and commitment of a great university partnership.”
Achieving Teaching Trust status is an important step towards becoming a University Hospitals Trust, which would further formalise the relationship between clinical services and academic research.
With strong foundations already in place, LSCFT and its partners are expected to continue building towards full University Trust status, strengthening their contribution to healthcare, education, and research across the region.
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