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.
Best Regards,
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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