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Interesting article about MAC in the Blackpool Gazette.

http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/daily-feature/when_memories_grow_a_little_rusty_1_4134958

A clinic that offers diagnostic services for memory problems including Alzheimer's disease is now open to residents in Ilkley and the surrounding area.

The Memory Assessment and Research Centre, who have a headquarters in central Bradford, have set up a satellite clinic in the Ilkley Moor Medical Practice on Springs Lane to provide easy access for local residents.

The clinic is open to anybody concerned about their memory and operates every three weeks under the provision of consultant psychiatrists, clinical nurse specialists and neuropsychologists.  Referral into the service is free of cost through GPs or self-referral.

Patients are already taking advantage of the new service which also points people in the community to other services such as Carer Resource, in order to help build a support network for those who may need it.

Dr Steve Higham, a neuropsychologist and Chief Operating Officer at MAC, said of the service: "Our goal for this clinic is to develop a more accessible and holistic community based memory clinic that encourages local people with deteriorating  memory to have an assessment where they may not have previously because of issues with transport or distance.  We have had a good response from people in and around Ilkley, who are now able to take advantage of the service that we are offering in a shorter timeframe than they may be able to elsewhere.  Ultimately, this is leading to earlier diagnoses for people who are then able to establish a network of care where necessary."

Individuals who have concerns about their memory, or that of a loved one, are encouraged to call the clinic on 01274 414330 for more information.

 Liverpool the first to benefit from strategic alliance

[12 September, London] Spire Healthcare, the private hospital group, has announced a new strategic partnership with MAC, a specialist research company. The mutually beneficial agreement will enable MAC to conduct ethically approved clinical trials at Spire hospitals, whilst giving the private hospital group the opportunity to provide associated procedures and services, including MRI, radiology and pathology. It will also further enable consultants at Spire hospitals to partake in clinical trials and assist consultants in carrying out research of their own undertaking.

The relationship, which gives Spire preferred provider status within MAC, has launched at Spire's Liverpool hospital with several studies having already commenced. Both groups expect to see great benefits from the scheme, as the partnership not only expands capabilities for both Spire and MAC but also provides valuable opportunities for both consultants and patients. Consultants will be able to both contribute to and/or instigate clinical trials, and patients involved in studies will receive enhanced care during the process.  In addition, the alliance has extended MAC's offering to the pharmaceutical sector, and Spire's extensive facilities have allowed MAC to diversify further into key therapeutic areas that it previously did not have access to.   

"As a leading healthcare provider, we are always looking for key ways to facilitate and advance the way in which important research groups such as MAC are able to progress their essential work," said Chris Chadwick of Spire Healthcare. "We are very excited by the potential benefits for everyone that we hope this strategic partnership will bring. The relationship will open up a number of great research opportunities for our consultants in a supported and structured way. Patients who enrol in trials sponsored by MAC will receive the highest standards of care delivered by experienced and expert specialists.  Importantly, all procedures carried out in clinical trials at Spire hospitals will provide a further source of income for each hospital, which will assist in our aim of continuing to invest in state of the art technology, facilities and services in order to deliver exceptional care and commitment for all of our key stakeholders."

"We are delighted to announce this agreement with Spire Healthcare," said Mark Dale, Chief Executive Officer of MAC. "We have a long standing relationship with Spire, so we are confident that this new partnership will bring great benefits to all involved.  Extending this agreement from Liverpool across the Spire group will give MAC the capacity to deliver larger controlled studies, further enhancing our research capabilities, providing broader opportunities for diversification within different areas for both MAC and Spire.  We believe it is a brilliant step forward in the field of clinical research for the UK and I look forward to seeing the partnership progress and develop robustly in the coming months."

In November 2010, MAC was awarded the SCRIP award for "Best Technical Development in Clinical Trials" for CliniSafe's Interactive Web-Based Concomitant Medication Management System". The Company also won the Queen's Award for Enterprise earlier this year.

- Ends -

MAC is delighted to announce it has won a Queen's Award for Enterprise.The prestigious award has been granted to the company by HM The Queen in recognition of its outstanding achievements.  

MAC's success has been attributed to its international contacts which have allowed research organisations to run clinical studies to develop medicines which treat conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and pain.

Dr Mark Dale, CEO of MAC, commented: "This is a real triumph for us and is testament to the hard work that our team has done to secure business that has really propelled us to where we are.  We are delighted to have a second award in six months following on from our SCRIP Award for Best Technological Development in Clinical Trials."

The company was created in 1988 offering memory assessment services which aid in the diagnoses of degenerative memory conditions and went on to specialise in drug development across a range of therapeutic areas.

The award comes at a time when MAC is experiencing significant expansion.  The company has recently broadened its reach across the North West adding a 24 bed state-of-art early phase research centre in Manchester.  Having recently established a strategic alliance with Spire Healthcare to offer research services in their hospitals across the U.K., MAC have now also opened a research centre at Spire's Liverpool hospital.

Winners of the Queen's Award are invited to Buckingham Palace where HM The Queen presents the Award to the company in a special ceremony which recognises the UK's most successful businesses.