June 2021 Newsletter
Date: 2 July 2021
Welcome to the Forum June 2021 Newsletter
This month we wore red and celebrated all we have achieved as a community for COVID-19, along side the publication of plans to achieve together for the future of UK’s clinical research over the coming months.
The amazing #Red4Research day, created by Sally Humphreys was testament to the passion and commitment given right across the community with every role showcased and over 17 countries taking part. You can read more about this fantastic response below.
The publication of a UK-wide Future of Clinical Research Delivery Implementation plan along with other important strategies launched this month, sets out the next steps for ensuring how #researchsaveslives and we continue onwards for the benefit of all.
The R&D Forum community has such a fundamental role to play, as we recover and develop. Thank you for all that you are doing.
Did you know?
The CQC strategy, published last month, now has research included more prominently. Read more about the new strategy and the role of the Forum and the CARE group in influencing this for research in England.
Becoming an NHS R&D Forum trainer provides a great professional development opportunity for experienced R&D staff. See below for an opportunity to support our popular Essentials of NHS Research Course online.
Thank you for supporting #Red4Research
Research participants, patients, professionals, volunteers and regulatory bodies all collectively came together to participate in #Red4Research. With your help, the campaign trended on Twitter reaching number 4, achieved 16.8 million impressions, reached 17 countries and appeared on 27 public facing webpages. People also joined in on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. With your help, we’ve raised the profile of UK research, the people involved and all the vital work that everyone body continues to do.
Red4Research Case Studies
Sally has compiled a brilliant selection of case studies from across the research community showcasing a breadth of roles and responses during COVID19. This report can be downloaded from the Forum website and is well worth a read.
Launch of New Resource for NHS Trusts: Best Patient Care, Clinical Research and You
A fantastic new resource to be hosted on Trust intranets has been launched on the Forum website to support NHS Trusts.
‘Best Patient Care, Clinical Research and You’ is an online guide to help busy non research staff become more aware of their impact on research in their Trust. In effect it raises general awareness, which should help research delivery in particular, but it also helps the Trust fulfil requirements of the research elements in the CQC Well Led Framework, the NHS Long Term Plan and now the new UK vision for clinical research delivery.
ECMC Network call for Forum support
The ECMC Network would value input from the R&D Forum at improving teenager and young adult (TYA) access to clinical trials. Although this is oncology-specific, they would really like to hear from a range of disease specialities to see if they can share any learnings. TYA patients often experience poorer outcomes and lower survival rates than other age groups and one reason for this is due to low participation in clinical trials.
Help identify research priorities for Community nursing
A Community Nursing priority setting partnership is underway and the team would like as much support as possible in reaching a wide range of people from across the country, representing different backgrounds and cultures.
Read more here and share widely
Call for new Forum trainers: The Essentials of NHS Research
Are you an experienced NHS research manager and an excellent trainer? The NHS R&D Forum is looking for new trainers to support the delivery of our popular two-day essentials of NHS research course. You must be able deliver material online and when time allows, face to face, covering a broad range of topics about research management, support and leadership in health and care. You will be supported by the Course Leader Allyson Bailey and become a Forum Professional trainer.
Further details and application
Forum consultations
Thank you to all Forum contributions to recent collaborative consultations in partnership with UKRD this month, including feedback to the MHRA on Remote direct access to EHR by Sponsor representatives in clinical trials (May 2021) and feedback to the Department of Health & Social Care on the future of the CRN (June 2021).
New Forum Exec Member
We are delighted to welcome Angela Topping as an Executive Member of NHS R&D Forum. Angela is Head of Newcastle Joint Research Office, and a long standing active member of the Forum and brings a wealth of additional knowledge and complementary skills to the Forum Executive.
Kate Greenwood’s departure from the Forum
From RDForum Executive
Kate has been the RDForum Manager now since 2012 and made a significant contribution to many aspects of its development and success. She now has a great opportunity to take up a full time role with the HRA as a Senior Improvement Deliver Manager. We all say a big thank you to Kate and wish her well in the future. We are putting in interim arrangements to ensure the smooth continuation of the R&D Forum work and you can contact us at contactrdf@rdforum.org.uk
Message from Kate
It has been a real privilege to work for the Forum R&D community particularly over the past years. Thank you for allowing me to do this for such a long time and for all the support you have given.
The Forum is an amazing collaborative and inclusive network that I know will continue to go from strength to strength, with many opportunities to get involved. I have really loved it.
Keep up the fun, sharing and doing what you do best, you have made such a difference this year! I look forward to seeing many of you in my new role at the HRA, thank you.
Over 120 people signed up to our joint roundtable with ARMA on Tuesday 29thJune. “Getting ready for the new HRA student research policy“ it was a great thought -provoking event with presentations from Professor Matthew Westmore (CEO HRA) and Janet Messer (Director of Approvals, HRA) followed by some quick fire case study examples and in-depth discussions on the way forward. The event was a great opportunity for members of both HEI and NHS organisations to come together and discuss shared challenges and opportunities.
A recording and slides are available here.
The NHS R&D Forum supports publication of the new UK implementation plan to propel clinical research into the future
The UK government and devolved administrations have announced the publication of a new Clinical Research Vision: Implementation Plan for 2021/2022 with the aim of making it faster and easier to conduct research in the UK and enabling more patients to be involved in, and benefit from, research of relevance to them. The plan looks to create a patient-centred, pro-innovation and data-enabled clinical research environment, which empowers everyone across the health service to participate in delivering research and enables people across the country to take part in research.
Read more and download the full plan
Best Research for Best Health: The next chapter
It has been 15 years since Best Research for Best Health was published, the document that underpinned the creation of NIHR.
The NIHR has published Best Research for Best Health: The Next Chapter on the NIHR website Best Research for Best Health: The Next Chapter (nihr.ac.uk). This sets out NIHR’s operational priorities now and into the future. It reaffirms core work streams and operating principles and details the areas of strategic focus – areas where we need to work with urgency and in fundamentally different ways, if we are to deliver transformative change.
Integrated Care Systems: Design framework published
The design framework sets out for how NHS leaders and organisations will be asked to operate with their partners in Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) from April 2022. Published on 16th June 2021 it includes Research & Innovation as a statutory duty. Functions of the ICS NHS body will include research & innovation.
NIHR Updates
- Impact of HRA/MHRA’s combined review service on CTIMPs applying for NIHR CRN support
- New research priorities identified for Aerosol Generating Procedures related to COVID-19
- COVID-19 Understanding and Elimination Trials Implementation Panel (CUE-TIP)
- Managed recovery of UK research portfolio – effective immediately
- Associate Principal Investigator Scheme
- NIHR’s COVID-tackling contribution recognised in Queen’s birthday honours
Essentials of NHS Research: 13th & 14th September 2021
This interactive two day course is designed for any role at all levels when new to a health care R&D department. The course might also be of interest to colleagues in industry, academia and the third sector that would like to better understand managing NHS Research or just for those who need to keep updated.
Local Capacity & Capability: 11th October 2021
This one-day course is designed to provide an understanding of the requirements of an NHS organisation when determining whether to take part in a particular research study as a host. Designed for staff in R&D offices responsible for assessing and confirming local capacity & capability, for sponsors of health research and researchers designing studies. Click on the link below for full course information and details of how to book your place.
Updated new courses
- Regulatory Inspection Ready Course – New date for 4th October, course bookings will be open shortly, but for further information regarding the course please click link below.
New resources submitted are:
- Impact Toolkit & Dashboard
- COVID-19 and Co-Production in Health & Social Care Research, Policy and Practice (Rapid Response)
- Becoming research confident: Research placements in pre-registration nursing, midwifery and allied health programmes in the UK
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