NHS R&D Forum Groups
Sustainability Working Group
The RDF Sustainability Working Group helps support the research, development, and innovation community with net zero strategy and implementation, working with partners and stakeholders, sharing best practice, and helping the R&D community remain updated on the latest national developments.
If you are interested in joining the RDF Sustainability Working Group please contact: info@rdforum.org.uk
Group Chair(s):
Tony Timlin
Tony is a Research Programme Manager and Research Sustainability lead at North Bristol NHS Trust, and an Honorary Research Associate at the University of Bristol. Following an undergraduate in geography and geology at The University of Manchester, Tony’s postgraduate degrees were received from the University of Bristol’s School of Earth Sciences where he studied geology and palaeobiology, with research on the evolution of Earth’s oldest animal ecosystems. Transitioning into healthcare, Tony works as a Clinical Trial Manager and has undertaken training with The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare to apply sustainable principles and methodology across NBT Research & Development. His primary objective in delivering local sustainable improvement projects is to ensure that the work can be scaled, adopted, and replicated at a National level to have the widest possible impact on sustainability across the NHS.
Tobit Emmens
Tobit is the Associate Director of Research and Development at Devon Partnership NHS Trust, an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Exeter, and the Mental Health Speciality Research lead for the NIHR Clinical Research Network for the South West Peninsula. He received his doctorate from the University of Hertfordshire’s Management and Complexity programme where he research the relational dynamic of research delivery, and his MSc in clinical research from the University of Exeter. At the Devon Partnership he leads a team of over 30 researchers, managers, and clinical research specialists, and the Trust is now recognised as one of the top-performing Trusts for mental health and dementia research.
Group Members:
Jenny Ekelund
Interim Head of Climate, Health and Sustainability
National Institute of Health and Care Research
Sarah Grimshaw
Research Regulation Specialist
Health Research Authority & Staff Lead for Green Team
Sean James
Biobank Manager
University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire
Eve Koutidiou
Estates & Facilities Officer and R&I Sustainability Lead
Manchester University NHS FT Trust
Violet Matthews
Trial Manager, Research & Development
University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire / Trust Sustainability Network
Rekha Patel
Senior Research Nurse
UHK
Laura Purandare
Deputy Director, Research and Development
University Hospital Southampton
Helen Riding
RDF Coordinator
Sharron Summers
Research & KE Fellow
DesignHOPES, University of Strathclyde
- Lead new work related to the themes, in their specific areas of interest.
- Create resources where there are gaps
- Influence partners & invited stakeholders. Discuss their work, ask for opinions and shape policy.
- Share expertise and gather intelligence from and for the community
- Horizon scan for what is of interest to the community. Horizon scanning and conducting community surveys
- Develop consultation responses
- Act as a point of reference & contact for the members with questions or peer review
- Feed into general Forum training, conference and events programmes.
- Champion the NHS R&D Forum and our community.
- Speak for and represent the research management, support and leadership community.
- Drive the Forum forward and provide leadership
- Strategically, proposing Forum content, providing leadership and ensuring oversight of outputs
- As a point of contact, providing peer support to colleagues
- As a Task and finish, producing outputs and resources
- As a space to work out loud, sharing experience and connecting with colleagues.