May 2023 Newsletter
Date: 31 May 2023
Welcome to the Forum May 2023 Newsletter
Welcome to our fifth Newsletter of 2023.
I want to take the opportunity to recognise the small group, which I have chaired for the last 5 conferences, that developed the conference programme (Angela Topping (R&D Forum trustee/Newcastle JRO), Jen Harrison (HRA), Allyson Bailey (NHS Forth Valley, Scotland/R&D Forum Training Lead), Bernie Pearson (Northern Ireland) and Shahista Hussain (Oxford University Hospitals). After a little rest for the summer, we’ll be starting to plan for RDF24 and would welcome others to join the group.
We were excited to announce at the conference four new trustees who will join Shona, Angela and I – Carolyn Maloney, Dipak Patel, Margaret Cooper and Sean Scott – you can find out a bit more about each in our newsletter this month.
Read on for details about #Red4Research taking place in June, the UK Research Finance Managers group’s 2023 survey, the HRA joining the new NHS Innovation Service, the latest NIHR updates and more.
Best Wishes,
Nicola Williams
Executive, NHS R&D Forum
Thank you for joining us at RDF23
RDF23 was the biggest annual conference of the NHS Research and Development Forum, and we were delighted to welcome over 850 members of the UK-wide research management, support & leadership community in health and care to Newcastle.
From the Sunday activities right through to the final session, we hope you learned a lot, made new connections and had a great time. Thank you to all the Delegates, Sponsors, Exhibitors and Speakers who made the event the success that it was.
Read the blog post ‘Attending the NHS Research and Development (R&D) Forum conference’ by Jen Harrison, here.
We can’t wait to welcome you back to Celtic Manor in Wales next year for RDF24.
New Trustees
The NHS R&D Forum are delighted to welcome 4 new Trustees who will be joining Nicola, Shona, and Angela as trustees of the Charity:
- Carolyn Maloney – Research & Innovation Chief Operating Officer at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
- Dipak Patel – Associate Director of Research & Innovation at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Margaret Cooper – Director of Research and Development at Tameside Integrated NHS Foundation Trust and Senior Research Strategy Lead at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
- Sean Scott – Regulatory Compliance Manager at the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Please join us in wishing them a warm welcome.
#Red4Research is back
#Red4Research Day on Friday 16th June 2023 aims to get as many people as possible wearing red to demonstrate their support and appreciation for research and all those participating, undertaking and supporting it. It is an opportunity to showcase the work, learning legacy and the new innovative research system/techniques that have arisen from R&D.
#Red4Research is completely inclusive – anyone, any age, anywhere can participate – children, adults, even pets! The concept is very simple. Wear any item of clothing as long as it is red, download/print or make a placard saying #Red4Research, take a photo and post it on social media with the #Red4Research hashtag. #Red4Research is all about positivity, creativity and celebrating research. Hopefully people might have a bit of fun along the way and raise the profile of research.
Download the #Red4Research resources from the NHS R&D Forum website to get involved.
UK Research Finance Survey 2023
The UK Research Finance Managers group conducted its first finance survey in 2020 which proved to be really helpful in quantifying the estimated financial impact of COVID 19 in NHS research organisations for UKRD Leaders, the R&D Forum and DHSC. The survey was repeated in 2021 that quantified the actual financial impact of COVID 19, and were able to share strategies and tactics that we had all adopted. Last year’s survey was helpful to understand the issues that R&D finance community are facing.
The 2023 survey is now available and consists of 19 questions. Visit our website below to complete the survey – the deadline for returned responses is Friday 16th June.
Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) Network Meeting
In May, the NHS R&D Forum was invited to be on the panel of the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) Network meeting to discuss innovation in clinical trial delivery. The panel, which was chaired by Lord O’Shaughnessy, was a timely and lively discussion and well received from the audience.
Angela Topping from the NHS R&D Forum provided the overview of challenges experienced in trial set up and delivery from the NHS R&D Perspective.
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.
Upcoming courses July – September:
- Local Capacity and Capability
- Medical Devices & Clinical Development
- Essentials of Research Sponsorship
- Essentials of NHS Research
- Regulatory Inspection Ready
NIHR Updates
- National Contract Value Review process shown to reduce set-up timelines
- The latest NIHR Learn Insights is now available
- New e-learning available on NIHR Learn: The Primary Care Setting – how it can help deliver your research
- April CRP Bulletin
- Pre-funding Feasibility Assessments
- 150,000 people sign up to Be Part of Research
- Work Begins on next phase of Join Dementia Research
- Research, the NHS and you – NIHR Conference for people new to research
Release of the Lord O’Shaughnessy Independent Report in May 2023 on Commercial Clinical Trials in the UK
The report sets out 27 recommendations on how commercial clinical trials can help the life sciences sector unlock UK health, growth and investment opportunities. The recommendations require a whole system approach if they are to be delivered, with the NHS R&D Forum committed to supporting this approach wherever we can.
Release of the Academy of Medical Sciences Report in May 2023 on future proofing UK health research: a people-centred co-ordinated approach
This guidance document is aimed at organisations that pay public contributors as part of their involvement in research. It is also intended for use by researchers and research staff with a The report is a timely and evidence-based review of the long-term sustainability of the UK health research system and was informed by leaders and organisations from across all parts of the research system, including the NHS R&D Forum. There are four key recommendations in the report, which again requires a whole system approach to delivering, and which the NHS R&D Forum are committed to supporting wherever we can.
Health Research Authority joins the new NHS Innovation Service
The NHS Innovation Service provides support for healthcare innovators from the very first stages of an idea, right through to the innovation being adopted.
The service acts as a front door for innovators to make it easy for them to find the support they need to develop new ideas that meet the NHS’s biggest challenges.
Healthcare innovators can now access support from the Health Research Authority through the NHS Innovation Service.
Model Confidentiality Disclosure Agreements (mCDA) – update on IRAS
This study specific CDA template and its associated guidance has been produced by a UK-wide partnership to help make the early sharing of information, for feasibility and site set-up purposes, clearer, more consistent, and efficient in line with the UK Vision for Clinical Research Delivery.
The February 2022 version of the mCDA has been replaced with the March 2023 version.
Discover NHS DigiTrials
NHS DigiTrials plays an important role in clinical trials. They provide secure data about people’s health and care to researchers. They must go through a strict approvals process before receiving any data.
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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