Researchers gather to celebrate multi-million network
8 June 2015
MORE than 150 researchers, medical directors and chief executive officers from across the region gathered in Leeds on Tuesday 28 April to celebrate the successes of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network: Yorkshire and Humber.
The highly organised event - which was heralded as a ‘great success’ by delegates - provided an opportunity for colleagues from across the region to share learning and best practice and find out more about how the research opportunities that could benefit patients that lie ahead.
Kick starting the event was Sir Andrew Cash, chief executive for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Sir Andrew highlighted how proud Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust had been to host the Network, which is responsible for allocating over £28m of funding a year until 2018 to support clinical research in local hospitals, doctors’ surgeries and other healthcare providers across the region.
Sir Andrew outlined the Network’s successes, its goal to recruit 10 per cent more patients onto clinical trials and how the new integrated structure was more responsive to the needs of patients, partners and the health economy. In particular praise was given to the Network’s ability to recruit into specialities. However, Sir Andrew did spell out the need to seize the opportunity to work more closely with the region’s wealth of medical technology companies to improve care with patients.
Dr Matt Cooper, Life Sciences Development Director, NIHR Clinical Research Network gave an overview of the national perspective of the establishment of Clinical Research Networks, which he hailed “as one of the big successes of the NIHR”. Although historically the UK has been perceived as not a good place to do research, Dr Cooper pointed out that other countries were starting to emulate our research successes, and in Europe the UK was ranked second in terms of research output – only second to Germany.
Next to the stage was Wendy Mitchell, a dementia research champion. Wendy began her speech by touchingly explaining she had to read word for word from a prepared script because of her condition and many delegates were moved by her inspirational story about how she had wanted to get involved in research as soon as she had been diagnosed with dementia. More needed to be done to ensure that people like her were aware of research opportunities, as “without willing volunteers they would be no hope of finding new treatments for dementia”.
Concluding the event was Professor Trevor Sheldon, Professor Health Services Research and Policy, University of York, Dean of Hull and York Medical School who outlined the challenges ahead. Specifically these included the drive towards using ‘big data’ (an area in which Leeds, Sheffield and York were particularly strong), the 100,000 Genomics Project to create a lasting legacy for patients, the NHS and the UK by sequencing 100,000 genomes and the need to use new models of data to support public health research to answer big questions over longer periods of time.
The Born in Bradford study, which aims to find out more about the causes of illness by studying children as their lives unfold, was cited as one example of the latter. The need for more analytical power to decide how to best use resources, the key role of universities as partners in health research, and good criteria for the adoption of studies was also called upon.
The speeches were followed by networking opportunities and the chance to visit a number of stands highlighting key projects.
