Academic Centre for Healthy Ageing

In 2023, we invested £6.6m to establish an Academic Centre for Healthy Ageing (ACHA). The launch in April 2025 marks a new era for healthy ageing. 

This new centre is a landmark collaboration between Barts Charity, Barts Health NHS Trust and Queen Mary University of London. Based at Whipps Cross Hospital, it will focus on improving the health, wellbeing, and care of older adults in North East London and beyond. 

ACHA is dedicated to improving care and support for older people in North East London through research, education, and training. It will connect research to a collaborative network of clinicians, researchers, educators, policymakers and, most importantly, the local community. 

Why support healthy ageing?

Healthy ageing means that people stay in good health, can live independently and participate to their full potential in society as they get older. 

People are living longer, but not always with good health and wellbeing. This is particularly an issue in East London. Not only is there a growing number of older people who need care to live well, but for some in our community, poor health comes at a much earlier age than elsewhere in the country. We want to make sure older people’s lives remain as healthy, independent and enjoyable as possible. 

In the UK, there are gaps in research, education and training focussed on healthy ageing and frailty that needs to be addressed. ACHA will help to improve understanding of how we manage conditions as we age, and transform how services support people as they grow older. 

Healthy ageing research

ACHA’s research will be focused on:  

• Preventing frailty and addressing the challenges of multi-morbidity and long-term conditions 
• Maintaining mobility, informing rehabilitation and recovery following trauma and acute illness
• Managing long term physical, mental and cognitive health conditions including dementia 

Through education and training, ACHA will apply this research to change how care is delivered. This will help reshape, upskill and grow the local health and care workforce. Patients will benefit from this improved care, and caregivers will have new opportunities for career development. 

A key facet of ACHA’s work is placing the community at the heart of all activities. For ACHA to make a real difference to the lives of local people, the views and needs across the diverse community of East London. More about this approach can be viewed on ACHA’s website. 

How ACHA works with our community – Nigel’s story

12 years ago, Nigel was out running one day when he fell awkwardly and broke his ankle and shoulder. He was taken to A&E at Whipps Cross Hospital where he was treated.  

“The staff did an absolutely fantastic job looking after me,” Nigel explains. But he could also think of some suggestions of how things could be improved. 

When Nigel first heard about ACHA and its dedication to working closely with patients, carers and the local community, he jumped at the chance to join their Community Advisory Group.  

Nigel is the Chair of the ACHA Community Advisory Group.

“It was a chance to see in practice ways that patient experience and insight could be used to help make sure that what matters to patients gets proper consideration. If you put the experts in a closed room, they may not see the priorities that people on the ground have, but having insight from patients means that they are aware of the issues that matter across different East London communities.”   

In mid 2025, Nigel was appointed as the Chair of the ACHA Community Advisory Group.