Collaborate with our specialist hospital network
The Federation of Specialist Hospitals (FSH) provides a single point of contact for organisations looking to collaborate with a network of specialist hospitals across the UK.
Our members are internationally recognised centres of excellence, providing care for patients with rare, complex and chronic conditions from across the UK and beyond. Together, they combine specialist knowledge across a wide range of clinical disciplines, advanced research capability, nationally significant patient populations and a proven track record of developing, evaluating and adopting innovative approaches to care.
Whether you are seeking a research partner, developing a clinical trial, evaluating an innovative technology, exploring digital and AI-enabled solutions or looking for specialist clinical insight, we can help connect you with the expertise and organisations best placed to support your work.
Where can specialist hospitals help?
Data
Specialist hospitals care for large numbers of patients with rare, complex and chronic conditions and hold rich datasets within highly specialised fields of practice. Our members combine specialist clinical expertise with access to nationally significant patient populations, which can support research, evaluation and service improvement. This creates opportunities to generate insights, identify appropriate patient cohorts and better understand the needs of specialist patient groups, while also supporting the development, testing and evaluation of data-driven and AI-enabled technologies.
Clinical trials
Specialist hospitals have extensive experience delivering clinical research across a range of specialist fields. Our members can help partners to identify suitable sites and patient cohorts, access specialist research knowledge and engage with organisations experienced in the delivery of complex, multi-centre studies. Collective working creates opportunities to share expertise, improve trial feasibility, access specialist research infrastructure and accelerate the development of new treatments for patients with rare and complex conditions.
Innovation
Specialist hospitals have extensive experience delivering clinical research across a range of specialist fields. Our members can help partners to identify suitable sites and patient cohorts, access specialist research knowledge and engage with organisations experienced in the delivery of complex, multi-centre studies. Collective working creates opportunities to share expertise, improve trial feasibility, access specialist research infrastructure and accelerate the development of new treatments for patients with rare and complex conditions.
FSH specialty areas
Our members often collaborate through established specialty networks, including:
- Oncology – specialist cancer care, clinical trials and the development of new treatments.
- Cardiovascular and respiratory medicine – specialist heart and lung services, transplantation, complex interventions and clinical research.
- Orthopaedics and musculoskeletal health – complex surgery, rehabilitation, secondary prevention and restoring independence.
- Neurology and neurosciences – specialist neurological and neurosurgical care, rehabilitation and neuroscience research.
- Ophthalmology – specialist eye care, vision research and surgical innovation.
- Paediatrics – through the Children’s Hospital Alliance, specialist care for children and young people with rare and complex conditions.
These networks bring together expertise from across the UK’s leading specialist hospitals, enabling partners to engage with clinicians, researchers and digital experts through a coordinated approach.
Who we work with
Our members work with a wide range of partners, including:
- Universities and academic institutions.
- Research funders, charities and foundations.
- Life sciences companies.
- MedTech and digital health innovators.
- NHS organisations and system partners.
- Policymakers and national bodies.
Get in touch
If you would like to explore a potential collaboration, we’d be delighted to hear from you: secretariat@specialisthospitals.org
or complete the form below: