The Primary Care Unit (PCU) was established in 1997, and has become one of theUK's strongest research groupings in primary care and behavioural science. In the 2008 research assessment exercise, 65% of the Unit’s research activity was rated as internationally excellent, placing it among the leading primary care departments in theUK. Since then, the Unit has established two new chairs; one in primary care stroke medicine and the other in health services research. The Unit was one of the five founder members of the National Institute for Health Research School for Primary Care Research.

The Unit provides research-based expert advice, sustains research capacity in priority areas and supports the development and management of patient-focused research in the NHS. The Unit’s senior staff offer research leadership, expert advice, and supervision of research staff in training. The Unit also uses bridging funding to permit researchers with key skills to move between projects. This enables career progression and supports the development of studies aimed at answering research questions central to primary care practice. Research support, such as statisticians, data managers, academic coordinators, is available in the Unit, and it also and employs a researcher whose role involves liaison with our local Primary Care Trust (PCTs), Research Networks and NIHR Research Design Service.

The Unit has designed and supervised academic education programmes for GP registrars in the form of an academic six month attachment. It also offers two NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowships per year.

Head: Professor Martin Roland              Website: www.medschl.cam.ac.uk/gppcru