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January 2023 Newsletter

Date: 31 January 2023

Welcome to the Forum January 2023 Newsletter

Welcome to our first Newsletter of 2023. I hope that you all got a chance for some rest and recreation over the festive period, and returned ready to face whatever exciting challenges NHS R&D has in store for you this year.

This is the last call for the Sponsorship workshop for 6th February in Leeds. There is no train strike planned and the weather is going to be a balmy 8C, so travel should be easy and it’s a great chance to meet face-to-face with colleagues again and discuss common issues around sponsorship.
After 24 years with the Forum, around 16 as your Director, I have decided that the time has come for me to retire from the Forum and pass the baton to the very capable and enthusiastic people providing leadership to the NHS R&D community.
I have loved my time with the Forum. Early in my career as an R&D Director it was a great comfort and help to have a community of people with similar challenges and concerns to lean on. Later I was pleased to be able to pay a little back into the system developing, along with numerous talented and committed colleagues, an organisation that supports our community and contributes to the development on a vibrant and successful R&D ecosystem in the UK.
Many thanks to all of you who have supported the Forum and myself personally. I will be at RDF23 in Newcastle in May, and hope to meet many of you there to reminisce and say au revoir.

Best Regards,

Maria Palmer
NHS R&D Forum Director

Updates for RDF23

We will be announcing the conference programme for RDF23 shortly. We can’t wait to welcome you to Newcastle to learn, share, develop and network.

Thank you to everyone who submitted an abstract for Posters at RDF23. The parallel sessions contain over 60 speakers from these – and there are also almost 100 posters to view during the event.

Over 600 people have already booked to attend RDF23. This means that we have a limited number of hotel rooms still available. Therefore to ensure you can benefit from the packages, that give you the combined attendance, accommodation and conference dinner at an overall discounted rate compared to booking the individual components, please book as soon as possible.

Find out more

NHS R&D Forum Working Group of the month – Research Contracts Group

The R&D Forum Contracts Group is a small informal group of experienced NHS contract managers which aims to be a mechanism to share contract related best practice and ideas, and also to discuss operational aspects of research contracts.

We are contributing to various national contractual initiatives, such as input into development of the model CDA, published in 2022 on the IRAS website. We are looking at developing various model agreements including an investigator led study agreement and a research collaboration agreement suitable for NHS parties to use.

Olivia Chalwin, Senior Contracts Manager at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, is the present chair of the group.

Please contact info@rdforum.org.uk if you wish to join the group.

The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee letter on clinical academics in the NHS published

The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee has written to the Minister of State for Health and Social Care with the findings of its short inquiry into clinical academics in the NHS.

Find out more

 

2023 – Course Schedule

We are pleased to advise that the training team have set the course schedule for 2023, some of which will remain virtual and others returning to In-Person, which we feel is a massive benefit to what you can learn together and share experiences.

Currently bookings are open for courses running from January – March, further bookings to open soon. To review the full schedule, click the link below.

2023 Courses – view here

People-Centred Clinical Research

The HRA has been working in partnership with members of the public, the research community and the University of Lincoln to develop the People-Centred Clinical Research project, which aims to improve the way clinical research happens and make it better for all people to take part.

As part of the project there is a survey to ask people to share their experiences of clinical research, and to let us know what they think about the six proposed ‘hallmarks’ of people-centred clinical research. The HRA would like to hear from patients, carers, healthcare professionals, researchers and members of the public (including those who’ve never taken part in research).

The survey closes on Friday 17th February 2023.

Read more here

Applications are invited for membership of the NIHR Imaging Group

The multidisciplinary group was formed in 2020 to ensure that the NIHR makes a visible, coordinated and effective contribution to scientific advances in imaging. It supports the development of the imaging research workforce and aims to improve the delivery of imaging research in the NHS.

Positions are available in all 3 working groups

  • Imaging science
  • Workforce
  • Research delivery

Read more here

NIHR INCLUDE Impaired Capacity to Consent Framework

The NIHR INCLUDE Impaired Capacity to Consent Framework is a tool for researchers to ensure that their trial is designed to be inclusive of people with impaired capacity to consent, as well as improving the quality of the trial design and funding application. It should preferably be used at the earliest stage when designing a trial (for example, it might be used when developing an NIHR Stage 2 application), however it can also inform later stages of developing the trial such as when drafting the protocol and ethics application.

Read more here

Health Determinant Research Collaborations (HDRCs) – Second Round

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) wishes to fund a set of innovative research collaborations between local government and the academic sector that focus on improving the wider determinants, or drivers, of health. These will add to the initial round of HDRCs commissioned in 2022.

To explain the HDRC funding opportunity further, the Public Health Research (PHR) Programme will host a webinar on 1 February 2023, 15:15 – 16:15.

Read more here

NIHR publishes its 2021-22 annual report

The NIHR has published its annual report and accounts, highlighting milestones and achievements during the 2021-22 financial year.

Read more here

Harnessing digital technologies for workforce development, education and training: an overview

Health Education England (HEE) has published a summary report into how the use of digital technologies will help the health and care workforce perform to their full potential and meet the future demand for services.

Expanding on the legacy of the Topol Review, chaired by digital leader, cardiologist, and geneticist Professor Eric Topol, this report delves deeper into ensuring our health and care workforce is digitally ready for the future.

Read more here

Do you need to commission or work with interpreters or translators as part of a research project?

Two new guides have been developed by the ARC North East and North Cumbria to support researchers who plan to work with interpreters or translators. The guides explain how to commission and work with language professionals as part of research work, and how to cost this into a research budget.

Read more here

ICTMC 2024

ICTMC 2024 is being held Monday 30th September to Thursday 3rd October in Edinburgh.

ICTMC (International Clinical Trials Methodology Conference) is the leading international platform for researchers and practitioners to present the very latest in trials methodology research. The meeting also offers valuable networking and training opportunities, with over 850 delegates from 20 countries attending in 2022.

Read more here

UKCRF Network – Increased Funding for 2023-28

The UK Clinical Research Facility Network, hosted by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), are very pleased to announce that they have been awarded £2.4 million funding by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to support the delivery of early phase research studies.

Read more here

Edinburgh Dementia Prevention Brain Health Summer School 2023 

Dates: Monday 12th – Friday 16th June 2023

This year the course will focus on the latest evidence for dementia prevention and promoting good brain health. Delivered online, the course will consider both global and public health perspectives, including examples from clinical care, policy and research.

The Brain Health Summer School is a 5-day interactive online course, which will combine materials and activities to work through in your own time, alongside daily live sessions with course tutors and fellow attendees to explore each topic in more depth.

Read more here

Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in Research Summer School 2023 

Dates: Tuesday 20 June – Friday 23 June 2023 (23 June optional)

Are you wondering where to begin with Patient Public Involvement (PPI) in research? Are you brand new or just lack confidence when it comes to PPI and not sure how you should be doing it? Then the PPI Summer School is for you.

Over this online course the Summer School will provide you with the confidence and skills in PPI to enable you to undertake your first PPI activity or improve your current practice. The course will be hands-on and interactive, and you will have the opportunity to work virtually with the CRF Patient Advisory Group members.

Read more here

New Resources

Resources from the NHS Research and Development Forum to support health and care research in the UK:

  • Training guides: How to work effectively with interpreters and translators
  • Indemnity cover for NHS staff delivering research
  • Proportionate Review Toolkit
  • National Data Opt Out – supplementary information for research organisations
  • Harnessing digital technologies for workforce development, education and training: an overview
  • Guidance on developing the joint forward plan

Find out more

Contacting the R&D Forum

As a reminder, should you need to contact the Forum the best way is via email which is info@rdforum.org.uk

The latest job vacancies displayed on our website.

 

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