September Newsletter 2018

Date: 8 October 2018

Welcome to our September Forum News

Did you know…?

Working group members and the Forum Senior Leadership Team are volunteers from across the community and that the income generated by training and events goes back into running the Forum for all.

Did you read…?

Our round up of Forum activities and outputs from May 2017- May 2018

Our Forum response to the ETC and commercial study set up consultation?

If you want to feed in, start a virtual group on a topic, or get involved contact info@rdforum.org.uk.

2019 Annual NHS R&D Forum Conference Update 

Call for abstracts are now open

Call for abstracts for RDF19 oral presentation or poster display are now open. Feedback tells us that this is one of the most important parts of the conference programme, creating a rich resource of shared practice that continues to be accessible long after the event.

We are inviting Abstracts that relate to the process, the structure, improving efficiency, improving quality, promoting best practice or adding value in R&D studies, teams, departments or organisations. We are particularly interested in innovative solutions to challenges and topics should be relevant to the wider R&D community.

The Annual NHS R&D Forum is about sharing best practice in R&D within Health and Care settings. Download the abstract submission guide for more detailed information, take a look at those accepted last year and get submitting.

Submit Your Abstract Here

Writing a Successful Abstract for the Annual NHS R&D Forum
Read past winner and R&D Management Working Group Chair Sally Humphreys blog on how to create a visual and impactful poster.

Read Sally’s Blog here

Professional Learning & Development 

Embedding Research Strategy & Culture Symposia
10th October, Birmingham

This event is now sold out. If you are booked and can no longer attend please let us know as we are running a waiting list.

Improved, new look ‘Essentials of NHS Research’
15th& 16th October, London

This course is for all levels and those new to a health care R&D department, as well as colleagues in industry, academia and third sector who would like to better understand managing NHS Research. Content covers, understanding the landscape, policy, regulation, patient & public involvement, roles of R&D, capacity & capability, costing, AcoRD, contracts, safety, data, oversight, impact, strategy and more!

Further Information

Non-commercial Sponsors’ Symposia – How to be a good, compliant Sponsor 
November 8th, London.  Only £175

This one day symposium is where non-commercial sponsors from across the health care community are joining together to share practice and work through what good and compliance in sponsorship looks like for all study types.

The following speakers are now confirmed:

• Dr Trish Groves (associate editor BMJ, editorial consultant)
• Kathleen Meely (Senior GCP consultant MHRA)
• Dr Janet Messer (Director Approvals HRA)
• Professor Gareth Griffiths (Director Southampton CTU)
• Alastair Nicholson (Senior Development Manager HRA)
• Iva Hauptmannova (Head of Research & Innovation Centre, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust)

The last few places are remaining. Book soon to secure a place.

Further Information 

Forum courses ‘in-house’ 

All courses can be tailored to serve local needs and settings. If you would like a course delivered in your organisation please contact info@rdforum.org.uk

Regulatory & Policy news:

New process for the management of Excess Treatment Costs in non-commercial research in England, starting 1stOctober 2018
We have previously communicated that there is a new process in trial from the 1stOctober for the management of ETCs in England. This trial period will last until April 2019 and so it is important to keep an eye on all the routes of communication. Please note the following point of clarification:

The new arrangements for completing a SoECAT at application stage will apply to:

• New calls for single stage applications issued after 1st October 2018
• Invitations to submit the second and final stage of an application where the invitation is issued after 1st October 2018 (the call for the first stage application may have been issued prior to 1st October)

Please see:

1. R&D Forum Excess Treatment Cost webpage for further information and to read the NHS R&D Forum Briefing Note.
2. NIHR Website Supporting research in the NHS – simplifying research arrangements to improve patient care.
3. The website includes a route map of the process for the management of ETCs
4. AMRC Blog by Andy Clempson

Non-commercial Sponsors can hear more about the SoECAT from Alastair Nicholson at the November Symposium.

National Directive on Commercial Contract Research Studies to come into force from 1st October
Revisions to the NHS Standard Contract as outlined in the NHS England consultation response will come into force on 1 October. Details of the requirements that providers in England, and therefore commercial companies, will subsequently need to adhere to for commercial contract research are set out in the National Directive.

Please see R&D Forum webpage for further information.

NHS England Research Needs Assessment 2018 published
NHS England has published a summary of information and areas for research identified by by NHS England’s six national priority programmes. They are:

• Urgent & Emergency Care (UEC)
• Mental Health
• Primary Care
• Cancer
• Diabetes and Specialised Commissioning
• The medical and nursing directorates

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/nhs-englands-research-needs-assessment-2018/ 
 
New GAFREC Arrangements implemented 
Further Information

Poor research transparency: excuses or genuine barriers? A blog by Juliet Tizzard, Director of Policy at the HRA
Further Information

HRA and MHRA publish joint statement on seeking and documenting consent using electronic methods (eConsent)

The Health Research Authority (HRA) and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have published a joint statement setting out the legal and ethical requirements for seeking and documenting consent using electronic methods.

eConsent is an approach sponsors and researchers are increasingly keen to adopt, and enables potential research participants to be provided with the information they need to make a decision via a tablet, smartphone or digital multimedia

READ MORE

Radiation Assurance: new InformationFollowing the success of Phase 1 of Radiation Assurance, HRA are now ready to begin recruitment for further Medical Physics Expert (MPE) and Clinical Radiation Expert (CRE) reviewers in preparation for the launch of Phase 2 on Monday 12 November 2018.  During Phase 2 HRA will accept all cardiology, rheumatology and neurology studies, as well as continuing to accept all oncology studies taking place in the NHS.

Recruitment began on Friday 14 September with a closing date of Friday 12 October at 4pm.

Further details

Around the Forum

NHS R&D North West #NHSWonderWomen
NHS R&D North West have launched a brilliant new video series to inspire everyone to think about doing health research. Promote, share and listen to these inspiring researchers. View the first video here and follow #nhswonderwomen @NHSNWRD for more.

New Blog in the BMJ by Derek Stewart
“What should research active mean when applied to a hospital, for general practice, or in a care home? Does it actually matter and what benefits might there be for patients?”

‘Research active’ are two words most of us use… a lot! We might for example use them to encourage and motivate others (it is so important to be research active), to communicate our mission and vision for the future (we want to be a really research active organisation), to express what we do (we are research active), or to measure and report on performance (we are becoming more successful at being research active); but do we use them meaningfully or just use them as a sound bite and what are we really saying about what being research active should mean, particularly in relation to treatment and care?

Derek Stewart, Patient advocate and Associate Dir. Patient Involvement & Engagement NIHR, has written a fantastically insightful blog in the BMJ this month around what he feels research active means and it is worth a few minutes of your time to have a read. It is particularly timely as a Forum we explore embedding research, strategy and culture in a health and care setting and what it means to be a well led, research active organisation

This sentence stands out: 
“I believe that being research active adds value, but ….I too want the focus to be on good clinical care. I want a good clinical experience based on the rigour of high quality research methods to validate the evidence to improve health and wellbeing. I want a good hospital that is active in research not a “research hospital.”

Read the full blog here

You can also catch up on the #whywedoresearch tweet chat on this topic by searching the hashtag for a wealth of opinion and insight.

New Resources this month

1. New GDPR learning resources are available from the MRC regulatory support centre
2. Research and Evidence Team Annual Review 2017-2018 Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucester CCG

View the latest additions to the Resource Exchange here

Please send in your tools, resources and helpful links. You can submit them directly here or send to info@rdforum.org.uk. Just one resource from every organisation would really make a difference and help to keep us all current.

Other News, Call & Funding 

Apply to become an AHP Research Champion 

Do you have ideas about how we engage and support AHPs to be research-active in NHS and social care settings? Applications are now open for AHP Research Champion roles working with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Council for Allied Health Professions Research (CAHPR)

‪Further information

Health and Care Research Wales Senior Research Leaders competition
Health and Care Research Wales is pleased to announce that it will launch the Senior Research Leaders competition for the next round of appointments to this prestigious group in early Autumn. Keep your eyed peeled for more information.

Health & Care Research Wales Conference 2018
Theme: Future-proofing research in Wales #ResearchWales18
Further information

NIHR Professorship awards
The NIHR Academy Research Professorship Schemes are officially open.
Further information

NIHR funding awards

Latest Jobs

There are lots of new jobs this month – see here.
Please submit your latest vacancies and we will also tweet them out.

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