HR AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
Dr Jonathan Sheffield, chief executive of the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network, says the Trust board needs to know more about the research going on at their organisations.
A
ccording to a recent Ipsos MORI poll, 97% of patients believe it is important
that the NHS should support research into new treatments. So is the NHS actually giv- ing clinical research the priority that pa- tients want to see?
The short answer is that yes, clinical re- search is indeed happening in our health service, and that its vital signs are good.
One of the organisations in a position to ‘take the temperature’ of clinical research is the National Institute for Health Re- search, Clinical Research Network. Funded by the Department of Health, the role of the Clinical Research Network is to provide on- the-ground support to a portfolio of some 3,000 clinical trials. This support includes advising on suitable locations, providing research nurses and other frontline staff to carry out the practical activities required by a study, and funding the cost of using NHS facilities, such as scanners or x-rays, so that research activity adds value to patient care without draining NHS resources.
According to the Clinical Research Net- work’s chief executive, Dr Jonathan Shef- field, this kind of support is helping to en- sure that the geographical spread of clinical research across England is broader than ever before.
He explained: “Years ago, most clinical re- search was concentrated in the large teach- ing hospitals, so patients living away from these areas had little chance to participate in a clinical research study. Now we’re see- ing a very different picture. 97% of all NHS Trusts are engaged in clinical research to some degree, and our figures show that half a million patients took part in a clinical trial last year. That’s a great step forward.”
One of the reasons behind the current strength of clinical research in the health service in England is undoubtedly the weight of political support for both aca- demic clinical trials, and the research activ- ity that the commercial life sciences sector undertakes within the NHS. Successive political administrations have developed policies that underline the central position of clinical research in ensuring that the NHS continues to offer patients the best
48 | national health executive Jul/Aug 11
possible treatments. And the fact that the life sciences sector is a key element in the Coalition Government’s Plan for Growth, suggests that the focus on clinical research is – if anything – set to grow rather than diminish.
However, Dr Sheffield believes there is still much more to do to ensure that the NHS can really deliver on patients’ growing ex- pectations of clinical trials as a standard treatment option.
He says: “The truth is that – despite its im- portance to patients, and to the future de- velopment of the health-service – clinical research can be ‘off the radar’ for top-level NHS Trust decision-makers. There may be some research happening in a Trust, but of- ten the board will not know how just many trials are taking place, how many patients are taking part, and how long it takes to set up a study. But with patients now start-
Dr Jonathan Sheffield
ing to ask searching questions about their Trust’s ability to offer clinical trial oppor- tunities, we hope to see that change. Re- search is core business for the NHS, so it should be reported as a key performance measure.”
To help bring this about, the NIHR Clinical Research Network has launched a special webpage, accessible to both patients and NHS professionals, which shows each NHS Trust’s research performance for the 2010- 11 financial year.
Dr Sheffield concluded: “We want to help NHS Trusts to focus on research. The level of research activity in each Trust should be transparent – it’s too important not to be.”
To view the Clinical Research Network’s data on NHS Trust research activity, visit:
www.crncc.nihr.ac.uk/nhs-performance
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