Annual Report and Accounts - The Great Western Hospital

With funding received from the Department of Health through our Comprehensive Local Research
Network (CLRN), Research and Development have been able to continue funding key research
posts across the Trust in Cancer, Rheumatology, Dermatology, Sexual Health, Orthopaedics and
ICU. Support departments continue to receive funding for posts to allow them to carry out any
additional tests that a research project may require.
All research staff in the Trust are supported with training and guidance through Research and
Development and the CLRN’s. All research nurses receive an induction pack and competency pack
in addition to their standard induction information.
R&D also fund a part time trainee accountant to ensure funding allocated to the Team is utilised
effectively and the department can offer transparent accounting. R&D and Finance are always
looking for smarter and more efficient ways of working to ensure our funding allocation and income
is used in key areas to support research activity, allowing the Team to offer patient choice in as
many areas as possible.
All standard operating procedures created within the Research Support Services National Initiative
are being implemented to ensure the Trust is compliant with all governance standards.
Recruitment of patients into research studies has decreased this year from 1680 in 2010/11 to
approximately 700 this year. This is due to the closure of an observational study that recruited over
800 patients last year. Recruitment into more complex research projects has increased by 5% this
year which is an excellent achievement.
3.9 Main risks and uncertainties facing the Trust in the future
Main risks and uncertainties facing the Trust are included in the Trust’s Annual Plan, together with
proposed actions to mitigate those risks. A summary of the risks to the Trust for 2012/13 onwards
is included in the Annual Governance Statement set out elsewhere in this report (section
14.4.5refers).
3.10 Trends likely to impact on the Trust 2012/13
The NHS faces significant challenges in the coming year with the impact of the Health Act, recently
enacted, confirming the establishment of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), the abolition of
Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), and Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) and the creation of the
National Commissioning Board.
This will change the way that our services are commissioned (purchased) and it will be important
that we work closely with the CCGs across Swindon, Wiltshire and the wider catchment area to
ensure that we can understand each CCG’s priorities for the patients and communities. Giving
such local focus to the requirements of local communities was a key plank of the health reforms,
and we are looking forward to this new way of working, aware that it will require some changes to
way we do business.
Scrutiny of the services that we deliver will also change with local LINKs groups being abolished
and local Healthwatch groups being created, housed in the local authority. These will feed into the
national Health and Wellbeing Boards and it will be important that as a Trust we form strong links
with these new organisations as early as possible.
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