Anaesthesia, Perioperative Medicine and Pain Management

Delivery

The NIHR supports patients and the public to participate in high quality research taking place in health and care settings across England, advancing knowledge and improving care.

NIHR Clinical Research Network

The NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) includes 30 specialty groups, who coordinate and support the delivery of high quality research by therapy area. Some of this research is funded by the NIHR, but most of it is funded by non-commercial organisations, such as charities or universities, and the life sciences industry.

The CRN provides researchers with the practical support they need to make research happen. It supports the set up and delivery of clinical research in the NHS and in other health and care settings through our Study Support Service, with tailored offers of support for:

• non-commercial organisations
• the life sciences industry

Supporting anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management research

Anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management is one of the fastest growing and most diverse research portfolios within the NIHR Clinical Research Network.

We care for paediatric, adult and obstetric patients, including those who undergo elective and emergency surgery, and who require treatment of acute, and management of chronic pain. Our diverse portfolio covers investigator initiated clinical trials, academic and industry sponsored studies as well as MedTech research.

The specialty has met its recruitment targets during the planned recruitment period for both non-commercial and commercial trials since 2016.

Who we are

As well as providing research delivery staff, we also bring together highly engaged NHS consultants and clinical academics from top UK universities, bringing both clinical and academic expertise to your research. Our experts in the CRN Specialty Group can advise on delivering your anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management study in the NHS and in particular geographic regions.

Dr Joyce Yeung is the CRN National Specialty Lead for anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management. Read Dr Yeung's full biography.

Dr Yeung is supported by local specialty leads in each of the 15 NIHR Local Clinical Research Networks.

Our collaborators and stakeholders

The Specialty Group works closely with the National Institute of Academic Anaesthesia (NIAA) including the Health Service Research Centre (HSRC) and the UK Perioperative Medicine Clinical Trials Network (POMCTN).

National Institute of Academic Anaesthesia (NIAA)

The NIAA Health Services Research Centre has generated a number of studies, most notably the snapshot audits SNAP-1 and SNAP-2, which contributed to overall recruitment numbers. SNAP-1 was the highest recruiting anaesthesia portfolio study ever.

Perioperative Medicine Clinical Trials Network (POMCTN)

The Perioperative Medicine Clinical Trials Network (POMCTN) is initiating and supporting an expanding portfolio of interventional studies. The joint effort of the NIAA and national specialty group has seen the number of patients recruited into studies progressively increase and recruitment exceed 15,000 participants in three out of the last four years.

Additionally the CRN works in partnership with the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) to recognise the outstanding contribution of NHS consultants and trainees who are active in research through a yearly award scheme.

Funding

Our funding programmes fund high quality research in anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management that benefits the NHS, public health and social care. We also provide career development funding awards for anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management researchers - see the careers tab for more information.

Our funding programmes

Our commissioned research programmes often seek research proposals on anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management. Some examples include:

• Short-term use of benzodiazepines for the acute management of acute low back pain
• Interventions for fibromyalgia-related sleep problems

We have also previously held a themed call on the management of chronic pain (2018).

Most of our funding programmes also run funding calls open to research proposals on any topic (researcher-led calls), including research proposals in anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management.

• Find out more about funding opportunities in anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management

Got an idea for research in Anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management? The NIHR Research Design Service can help you turn it into a funding application, offering advice on research design, research methods, identifying funding sources, and involving patients and the public.

• Find out more about the NIHR Research Design Service

Our portfolio of anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management research

You can search and view all the anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management research we’ve funded on NIHR Funding and Awards.

In addition, a number of our research programmes publish comprehensive accounts of our research on this topic in the NIHR Journals Library.

Careers

The NIHR attracts, trains and supports the best researchers in anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management to tackle the complex health and care challenges of the future.

Our investment in people sustains excellent research capacity and expertise throughout clinical and non-clinical academic career pathways and provides high quality learning and development opportunities for the delivery workforce in our infrastructure.

Funding research careers

The NIHR Academy is responsible for the development and coordination of NIHR academic training, career development and research capacity development.

There is a wide range of NIHR training and career development awards available at different career stages, from pre-doctoral through to Research Professorships. These awards comprise both personal awards, which can be applied for directly with the NIHR, and institutional awards which should be applied for through the host institution.

• Find out more about our training programmes
  
  

Supporting the delivery workforce

The NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) is part of a unique collaboration with the Research and Audit Federation of Trainees (RAFT) - a trainee-led national group that networks together the multiple UK regional anaesthetic research groups. It aims to involve trainees in research studies within the CRN portfolio, facilitate research training and support national anaesthetic trainee-led projects.

Associate Principal Investigator Scheme

Trainee Anaesthetists looking to develop their career in research and who wish to gain formal recognition of their engagement in NIHR Portfolio research studies are welcome to join the Associate Principal Investigator Scheme. Applicants to this scheme will need to contribute significantly to the progress and delivery of a local level study over a minimum of six months.

• Find out about our career development support for healthcare professionals

Support

The NIHR invests significantly in people, centres of excellence, collaborations, services and facilities to support health and care research in England. Collectively these form the world-class NIHR infrastructure. We also provide career development funding awards for anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management researchers - see the careers tab for more information.

This national research infrastructure is available to use by UKRI, research charities and the life sciences industry as well as NIHR researchers.

• Find out more about working with our research infrastructure as a researcher or a member of the life sciences industry

NIHR Biomedical Research Centres

NIHR Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs) are collaborations between world-leading universities and NHS organisations that bring together academics and clinicians to translate lab-based scientific breakthroughs into potential new treatments, diagnostics and medical technologies.

The following BRCs undertake research in anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management:

• NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre

NIHR Clinical Research Network

The NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) supports set up and delivery of clinical research in the NHS and in other health and care settings. Find out more on the delivery tab.

Experts

The NIHR funds and supports world-class experts in anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management.

• Find out more about collaborating with our experts

In addition, our experts in the NIHR Clinical Research Network (National Specialty Leads) can advise on delivering your anaesthesia, perioperative medicine or pain management study in the NHS or in other health and social care settings.

• Get our expert advice on delivering your research

National Speciality Lead

Dr Joyce Yeung is the CRN National Specialty Lead for anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management.

Joyce is an Associate Clinical Professor of Anaesthesia and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Warwick. She leads the Emergency, Prehospital, Perioperative and Critical Care Trials group within the Clinical Trials Unit at Warwick Medical School. 

• Read Joyce’s full biography

Public Involvement

We engage with and involve patients, carers, service users and members of the public in order to improve the reach, quality and impact of research in anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management.

Have your say in research

We involve patients, carers, service users and members of the public in our national research funding and support activities, including in anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management research.

• Find out more about getting involved in our national funding and support activities

The researchers we fund also involve patients in planning and delivering their anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management research.

• Find out how to get involved in NIHR-funded research in your local area

Our Local Clinical Research Networks involve people in research taking place in your local area.

• Find your Local Clinical Research Network to see how you can get involved

Take part in research

Be Part of Research is an online service that lists opportunities to take part in Anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management research across the UK.