We work with health organisations and the NHS to improve the environment for health and care research in England.
We work with health organisations and the NHS to improve the environment for health and care research in England.
Health and care professionals undertake a range of roles in clinical research. Whether they're leading research in their field of interest, a co-applicant or principal investigator for studies, advising sponsors or sites about the shape and feasibility of their research or taking a leading and essential role in recruitment and delivery of studies - every role and every professional is important.
Health and care professionals have a pivotal role to play in promoting participation in clinical trials to patients and the public.
Encouraging a research-positive culture in health and care organisations is important to give patients wider access to clinical research and improve patient care and treatment options.
Evidence shows clinically research-active hospitals have better patient care outcomes.
Research activity and the association with mortality
Published in March 2021, this Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Strategy outlines the way forward to build back research better following the pandemic.
The response to COVID-19 has showcased the clear link between research and better outcomes for individuals and the NHS. Seizing this momentum, the strategy looks to the future of clinical research as the single most important way in which we improve our healthcare – by identifying the best means to prevent, diagnose and treat conditions. It aims to bolster delivery of innovative research across all phases and all conditions, right across the UK.
There are five main themes:
There are seven main actions:
In 2017, NHS England and the NIHR published a joint statement committing to 12 actions to support and apply research in the NHS. Three of these actions relate to how the NIHR works with the NHS both simplifying research processes and research priorities.
We’ve been working with NHS England and NHS Improvement, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the Health Research Authority and others to:
NHS England’s research summarises the information and areas for research identified by NHS England, to provide an early signal of potential research requirements across the wider clinical portfolio. We are now developing a number of funding calls to commission research in the areas identified by the needs assessment.
Another relates to setting out local NHS research and innovation priorities of Academic Health Science Networks and Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships.
The consultation we jointly commissioned with the NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE/I) and the Academic Health Science Network identified the need for innovation and research around:
The findings will be used to facilitate further discussions involving patients and the public and the research community to refine the priorities and better understand the local context and challenges.
The research engagement case studies showcase examples of best practice initiatives for engaging staff in NHS care settings to develop a research active culture. This selection of case studies have been categorised into five themes:
Generating a research culture requires innovation, creativity and excellent engagement skills. The stories below are written by frontline research delivery staff and exemplify how this can be achieved in NHS organisations.
Staff at Nottingham University Hospitals describe how they encourage clinical staff to become research aware and active.
In 2014 CHKS, a leading provider of healthcare intelligence and quality improvement services, rated Kingston Hospital as a top 40 hospital and top amongst the five most efficient.
However at the same time it was rated the ‘worst performing research trust' out of the twelve in the South London Clinical Research Network (CRN). This was largely due to a lack of infrastructure, and a hospital and staff that were not prepared for research.
Since 2014, Kingston Hospital has implemented reforms and initiatives to overcome many of these barriers.
Research midwives in Newcastle identified that, despite their best efforts, out of hours recruitment to studies was not optimal. Therefore, over a period of 12 months, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust ensured that a research midwife was present for the delivery suite handovers at the beginning and end of each day. This initiative increased the confidence of staff, and increased recruitment to studies.
Patients and the public are at the centre of everything we do. The resources below demonstrate just how important public involvement is at all stages of the research journey.
Staff at Nottingham University Hospitals explain why research is so important to patient care.
Matt Costa explains how embedding research within the Major Trauma Network has had a significant positive impact on patient outcomes
Increasing the integration of research and care is key to the future, and the best way to deliver patient care. That's why the Clinical Research Network (CRN) works hard to make sure research is offered as a choice on all patient care pathways.
Below are some examples of how NHS Trusts across England have successfully managed to integrate research into clinical care.
How does research integrate with clinical work? Staff at Nottingham University Hospitals describe some of the ways they integrate research into clinical care.
In early 2015, the children’s research team at the Great North Children’s Hospital identified that staff working within busy clinical areas often struggled to engage with research.
An initiative was developed to identify research ‘champions’ in each of the clinical areas to help to embed research within the organisation at all levels.
Helen Hanson, Senior Research Nurse at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, explains how an initiative to make clinicians more aware of recruitment to research worked, and how it succeeded.
NHS clinical staff have been trained to spread the research message. An exciting pilot internship programme has encouraged ‘Research Envoys’ to get involved in research and promote research at all levels within their clinical areas and organisations as a whole.
There are a range of different routes and levels to get involved in research. The videos below provide an insight into the motivations behind getting involved and how being a research active clinician can be helpful for those looking to develop professionally.
Mark Hammonds, Senior Charge Nurse, Coronary Care Unit at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, explains how and why he got involved in research and how he encouraged colleagues to integrate research within their clinical roles.
Staff at Nottingham University Hospitals describe how they became research active
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a new surge in interest in research, both within the NHS and in the public. Many frontline research delivery staff in various healthcare settings have worked hard to harness this new level of research engagement in their local organisations.
A full range of research engagement case studies can be found on the Frontline Research Engagement and Collaboration Community on our NIHR Learn platform under the ‘Success Stories’ section.
This online community provides frontline research delivery staff with a ‘hub’ for learning, inspiration and sharing examples of successful practice in embedding research in local NHS organisations. The community can be accessed using NIHR Learn, which can be accessed by registering using an NHS or NIHR email address.