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December 2020 Newsletter

Date: 23 December 2020

Welcome to the Forum December 2020 Newsletter

Seasons Greetings

Thank you to you all for everything you have contributed to the research effort this past year. You have worked tirelessly with extraordinary effort and as we move into a new year we hope new beginnings will result. Throughout this pandemic research has been at the heart of finding answers, treatments and solutions; and research has been able to happen because of you.The NHS R&D Forum has been sharing the views and experiences of UK R&D teams with Government, Policy makers and Regulators throughout the year. We hope that you have found support in your endeavours by connecting up through Forum and the Forum Leadership team continues to work to create the environment for this to happen.

We hope that you have found support in your endeavours by connecting up through Forum COVID coffee, groups, events and symposia, and by finding resources to help in the exchange. The Forum Leadership team continues to work to create the environment for this to happen and will be listening to your thoughts on this into 2021.
Thank you again for all that you do.
Wishing you and yours a peaceful festive season.

Did you know?

Our website has been updated with more ways to get involved. Submit and find resources, suggest or host a roundtable discussion and contribute to consultations.

Take a look: www.rdforum.org.uk

Dates: 25-29 January 2021

Over five days in the last week of January “Reflect & Connect: Research Before, During and After COVID19 (Reconnect21)” will cover three Streams on each of the days. The streams are:

  • Policy & Decision Making (12:00 each day)
  • Inside COVID19 Research (14:00 each day)
  • Making Research Happen (17:00 each day)

Policy & Decision Making will include speakers from DHSC, MHRA, NIHR, and HRA.

Inside COVID19 Research will include speakers involved in the PHOSP-COVID, REMAP-CAP, RECOVERY and PRINCIPLE research trials and Inside the COVID19 vaccine trials delivery programme.

Making Research Happen will include HRA, ABPI, AMRC, and the Chief Nursing Officer for Wales.

These sessions will include live Q&As and also be recorded to allow those who cannot attend all sessions to catch up on demand.

Date: 8th February 2021

A one-day course 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  below for full course information and details of how to book your place.

AcoRD Masterclass – Funded places for NHS R&D Management teams
Date: 18th February 

The NIHR CRN CC has kindly funded a number of places to support NHS R&D staff in their AcoRD training. A dedicated AcoRD Masterclass will be held on the 18th February for individuals working in an NHS R&D management team who supports researchers with attribution.

Dates: 22nd & 23rd February 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.

Click here for full course information and details of how to book your place.

Sponsors Symposium Report 

On the 9th December over 130 members of the R&D non-commercial Sponsors community joined our first virtual symposium event. All slides will be made available Forum wide and you can follow the chat via #noncommsponsors.

For those who registered, recordings of all the sessions are now live on the microsite for your enjoyment.

If you were unable to attend, you will find the presentation slides on our website by clicking here.

Forum Site Set Up Survey – extended until 18th December

There is just enough time to squeeze in your comments to our Forum Industry Studies, Site Set Up Survey. Feed in here

Forum contributes to MHRA guidance

Representatives from the Research Management and Primary Care and Commissioning Working Groups will attend an MHRA stakeholder meeting to contribute to their developing guidance on the Electronic Health Records. We will feedback in future news.

Why people should be involved who do not have the internet

A new blog has been published by Forum Service Users and Carer Member Penny Vicary who is is a long standing and active member of the NHS R&D Forum service users and carers group. Read more here

Connecting Through COVID Coffee
New Forum blog by Sally Humphreys NHS R&D Forum Research Management Working Group Chair

It is hard to believe that the NHS R&D Forum COVID Coffee initiative started 9 months ago. A weekly virtual meeting where R&D Forum working group members can review developments, share practice and support each other whilst gaining a national perspective of the practical issues affecting the development and delivery of research.

Read Sally’s blog

NIHR Update

We would like to share the following updates on behalf of NIHR.

  • Participants in NIHR-supported Covid-19 research exceeds half a million
  • COVID and me – vaccine stories
  • Restart case studies
  • Restarting cancer research: opportunity to share your view
  • NIHR Aerosol Generating Procedures Task and Finish Group
  • What is Health Research? – An NIHR Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)
  • New look for NIHR Learn
  • Innovation in Trail Design and Study Delivery during the COVID pandemic Podcast Series II

Read the full NIHR update

HRA Update:

We would like to share the following updates on behalf of the HRA:

  • Prof Matt Westmore to become new CEO of the HRA
  • Call for NHS CTIMP sponsors to join Combined Ways of Working pilot in 2021
  • Fast-track ethics review pilot opens in January
  • Updated amendment tool on IRAS
  • Technical Assurances update: MPE/CRE review procedure and generic risk statement
  • Updated guidance for health and social care researchers at the end of the transition period
  • Updated guidance on Data Protection Impact Assessments
  • Updated guidance on amendments to COVID 19 studies

Read the full HRA update

MHRA update

On-site access to Electronic Health Records by Sponsor representatives in clinical trials

The following guidance has been jointly developed by the Heath Research Authority (HRA) and MHRA, in consultation with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO), on behalf of the UK. Read more.

Population Research UK: A new initiative launched 

HDR UK is leading the development of a new initiative called Population Research UK (PRUK) on behalf of the ESRC, the MRC, and Wellcome. PRUK will increase the insights, innovations and research efficiency of the UK’s wealth of social and biomedical longitudinal population studies (LPS) – cohorts, panel studies and record-linkage studies that all collect information from large numbers of individuals over time.

Find out more

New 8th Caldicott Principles 

The Caldicott Principles have been revised. The wording of the existing seven principles have been tweaked and a new, eighth Caldicott Principle has also been introduced. This new principle is about informing patients and service users about how their confidential information is used. Read more

New resources in REX this month

New SOP: Newcastle JRO: Virtual and e-consent in Research at NuTH

What do people think about third parties using NHS data?

Understanding Patient Data commissioned research to find out what the public believes makes a makes a fair health data partnership between the NHS, and researchers, charities and industry.

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