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Primary Care and Commissioning Working Group

The Primary Care and Commissioning Working Group brings together individuals with experience and expertise in the strategic development, management and delivery of research within primary care and commissioning organisations from across the NHS R&D management, support and leadership community.

The group’s remit is to act as a source of expertise and support for the development, implementation, and sharing of best practice for primary care research and in relation to ICB statutory research duties and to work with key stakeholders including the HRA, NIHR, NHS England and others to influence and support the development of key policies and guidance.

Contact the Group

Contact the group via info@rdforum.org.uk FAO: Clare Symms

Group Chair:

Clare Symms

Clare Symms is currently the Head of Research Management for the Norfolk and Waveney ICB, supporting the ICB with its Duties in relation to research and, in collaboration with the Research Team at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB and the CRN; supporting research in primary care across the CRN: East of England footprint. Clare has over 20 years’ experience in managing and supporting research across primary care and commissioning organisations in Norfolk and Suffolk, having worked to support Primary and Community Care research within the Norfolk and Suffolk region since 2003. Clare has chaired the NHS R&D Forum Primary Care and Commissioning Working Group since 2017.

Group Members:

Hilary Allan
Research Delivery Manager
NIHR CRN: North East and North Cumbria

Lisa Austin
Research Manager
Bath Research and Development

Katalin Bagi
Research Portfolio Manager
NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB

Paul Carder
Head of Research
West Yorkshire Research & Development

Deborah Cooper
Research Governance Lead
West Yorkshire Research and Development

Nicola Coverdale
Research Operations Manager (primary care)
NIHR CRN: North East and North Cumbria

Martine Cross
Research Delivery Manager
NIHR CRN: Wessex

Helen Duffy
Research & Innovation Programme Manager
Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust/Staffordshire and Shropshire Health and Care Research Partnership (SSHERPa)

Shona Haining
Head of Research & Evidence
North of England Commissioning Support (NECS) / R&D Forum Executive

Rachel Illingworth
Head of Research and Evidence
NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB

Lynis Lewis
Service Director
Noclor Research Support Service (North, Central and East London) NIHR CRN: North Thames

Carly McDonald
Research Manager
NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB

Diane McLeod
Commercial Research Manager- Primary Care
NIHR CRN: Thames Valley and South Midlands

Andrew Perugia
Project Manager
Noclor Research Support Service (North, Central and East London) / NIHR CRN: North Thames

Alex Phillips
R&D Manager
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough ICB

Helen Riding
R&D Forum Co-ordinator NHS R&D Forum / Research Manager
North of England Commissioning Support (NECS)

Matt Rogers
Senior Commissioning Manager
NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board

Paul Roy
Research Manager
NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB

Louise Scott
Research Operations Manager – Primary Care (CRN WM) / R&I Manager
Dudley Integrated Health and Care NHS Trust / NIHR CRN: West Midlands

Tom Simpson
Research Delivery Manager
NIHR CRN: Wessex

Tom Spencer
Head of Research
Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Lisa Wann
R&I Manager
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

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