Trust Board Febuary 2010 - Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals

SWBGB NEW REF
SWBTB (2/10) 030 (a)
2.7 We will encourage the recruitment of more patients to NIHR Portfolio trials, including
commercial studies, by a variety of methods including the development of a Trust-wide
network of research nurses and other administrative staff.
2.8 We will introduce mandatory training programmes for all staff involved in research to
ensure that all research undertaken in the Trust is conducted to the highest standard.
2.9 These innovations will lead to the Trust R & D department evolving into a ‘Research
Support Service’ as required by the NIHR Implementation Plan 4.1g. 4
3. PURPOSE AND SCOPE
3.1 The strategy identifies the key objectives to be achieved in 2009 - 2011 to fulfil the vision
for research and development within the Trust.
3.2 This strategy document will outline the organisational structures and processes required
to support this vision and the changes required to achieve the strategic objectives.
3.3 The strategy will be reviewed in 2011 to adapt further to the rapidly changing research
environment in the NHS.
4. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
4.1 New National Health Research Strategy
4.1.1 The government launched its new national health research strategy in 2006 under the
heading “Best Research for Best Health”. 1 The vision of this strategy is to “improve the
health and wealth of the nation through research”. Improving the nations “wealth” refers
to the support in the NHS for commercial research, thereby supporting the UK’s
pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
4.1.2 This strategy has lead to the development of the virtual National Institute for Health
Research (see figure). The NIHR supports high quality trainees, investigators and senior
investigators in its virtual ‘faculty’ and will be funding a number of research centres and
units. The NIHR supports existing research funding streams including the Health
Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme and the clinical trials of the Medical
Research Council (MRC). It has also introduced new streams such as Programme
Grants for Applied Research and the Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) programme.
4.1.3 The NIHR has followed the successful lead of the National Cancer Research Network in
developing a series of Topic Specific Research Networks such as the Dementias and
Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Network (DeNDRoN) to provide practical and
financial support for research in particular areas. Research fields not covered by the
topic specific networks receive support via Comprehensive Local Research Networks
(CLRN).
4.1.4 Another declared aim of the new NHS research strategy is the rationalisation of
regulatory and governance procedures involved with clinical research in the NHS, or socalled
“bureaucracy busting”. 4 This will involve unifying and streamlining administrative
procedures, whilst promoting research governance processes that are proportionate to
risk. This will feed into the ongoing changes to the research ethics system co-ordinated
through the National Research Ethics Service (NRES) . The net effect will be
transformation of R & D departments into ‘Research Support Services’.
4.1.5 It will be clear from the outline of the new national research strategy above that this is an
ambitious and far ranging plan which will lead to large scale changes in clinical research
at national and local levels. This will lead to challenges for all primary and secondary
care trusts.
Research and Development Strategy Page 4 of 10
SWBH Research and Development Strategy 2009-2011. Version 1.2. January 2010