JLA seeks views on safe care for adults with complex health needs

The James Lind Alliance (JLA) is seeking help with their research into the safe care for adults with complex health needs.

The JLA and the NIHR Imperial Patient Safety Translational Research Centre are calling on healthcare professionals, including members and fellows of the College, to submit questions they would like answered on the subject.

Submitted questions will then be prioritised through a second survey in order to determine the top ten priority areas for the research.

JLA seeks anaesthetists’ views for blood transfusion research

The James Lind Alliance (JLA) has launched a national survey providing anyone affected by blood transfusion and blood donation, personally or professionally, the chance to prioritise research questions about these services.

An online survey in the spring of 2016 identified approximately 800 uncertainties about blood donation and the use of blood transfusion. These uncertainties, presented as potential research questions were reviewed and categorised, and the existing evidence checked to see whether the answers to any of the questions were already known.

JLA is now at the second survey stage whereby an online voting process seeks to establish the top 10 research priorities in the field of blood donation and blood transfusion.

Good clinical practice for clinical trials

How to show MHRA you're meeting good clinical practice (GCP) standards and what to expect from an inspection.  Good clinical practice (GCP) is a set of internationally-recognised ethical and scientific quality requirements that must be followed when designing, conducting, recording and reporting clinical trials that involve people.

CSP launches survey to identify physiotherapy research priorities

The CSP is seeking opinions from physiotherapy staff, patients and carers about what areas of research the profession should prioritise.

NHS England launches consultation to simplify and strengthen arrangements for research in the NHS

A consultation has been launched to simplify and standardise the process for getting research projects up and running in the NHS.

Cuts to bureaucracy and faster access to new and innovative treatments, are at the heart of 12 actions also agreed by the NHS England Board to support research and its application in the NHS.

Linked routine data can replace randomised control trials, think tank hears

Expensive randomised control trials involving physiotherapy could be replaced by using the data routinely collected during healthcare interventions and linking them together, according to the leader of one of the world’s largest research studies.

RCOphth and NIHR launch Researcher of the Year Awards 2018

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists and The National Institute for Health Research are pleased to announce the opening for applications of the 2018 RCOphth / NIHR Researcher of the Year awards.

NHS England announces plans to break down barriers for research

NHS England has announced plans to accelerate the NHS’ national research strategy, cutting bureaucracy and speeding up access to new and innovative treatments.

NHS Chief Executive Simon Stevens will announce that proposals to streamline and standardise the process of setting up trials across multiple sites, needed to develop treatments for rare cancers and other complex conditions, and claiming back excess treatment costs that can be a barrier to innovation will be considered by the NHS England Board next week.

#Physio17: Researcher highlights difficulties accessing hard to reach groups

Speaking at the CSP’s annual conference in Birmingham, Gita Ramdharry, research lead and specialist neuromuscular physiotherapist at the Centre for Neuromuscular Diseases at University College London Hospitals, outlined some of the challenges of conducting research on rare populations or with small sample sizes.

Top miscarriage research priorities identified by women and health professionals

First study of its kind reveals what the public and health professionals want future miscarriage research to focus on.

More research is needed to improve psychological and emotional support for women and their partners affected by miscarriage, reveals a survey published in BMJ Open.

Other top priorities include research into preventative treatment, relevance of pre-existing medical conditions, importance of lifestyle factors and genetic and chromosomal causes, investigation after different numbers of miscarriage and male causal factors.

Health Services Research Centre seeks new clinical research fellows

The Health Services Research Centre (HSRC) is recruiting clinical fellows to work on high profile programmes in anaesthesia and perioperative medicine research.

The successful candidate/s will contribute to national research projects led by the Royal College of Anaesthetists and gain the opportunity to qualify for academic publication, present at conferences, and develop leadership and management skills.

The fellowships will begin in February 2018. The last possible start date for candidates is 1 August 2018.

Current, future and avoidable costs of stroke in the UK

Briefing from the Stroke Association about the societal costs of stroke in the next 20 years andpotential returns from increased spending on research.

Clinical academic career: an alternative viewpoint

Clin Teach. 2017 Apr;14(2):141-142. doi: 10.1111/tct.12545. Epub 2016 Jun 15.

Clinical academic career: an alternative viewpoint.

UHCW Research: S. Tso

Regulating clinical trials

This briefing from the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology describes the new EU Clinical Trial Regulation and the timetable for its implementation and examines its likely impact on the regulation of clinical trials in the UK post-Brexit.

Funding available for research applying behavioural insights to health care

The Health Foundation has £1.8m available in its behavioural insights research programme.

This researcher-led open call aims to support up to eight multidisciplinary research teams to generate new knowledge of what can motivate people to act in more efficient and less wasteful ways in UK health care services.

The deadline for applications is noon on Friday 20 October 2017.

Little-known facts about university hospitals

University hospitals play a crucial role in the NHS, delivering high-quality acute care, training the doctors and health professionals of tomorrow and conducting groundbreaking clinical research.

Despite a distinct role and purpose within the healthcare system, the breadth of their contribution is not always fully understood.

This infographic, developed with the Association of UK University Hospitals, sheds light on their significant contribution.

BOSU Surveillance Study Bursary

With the kind support from The Red Trust and the Ross Foundation, the BOSU is once again offering three research bursaries of £6000 to support ophthalmologists in training to undertake an epidemiological study of a rare eye condition through the British Ophthalmological Surveillance Unit or the Scottish Ophthalmological Surveillance Unit.

NIHR research and impact annual data for UHCW

NIHR annual data for the period 2016/17 for UHCW

RCoA/NIHR Research Awards 2017

The RCoA is pleased to announce three joint awards in conjunction with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN). The awards are designed to recognise NHS clinicians (consultants and trainees) who are making outstanding contributions to clinical research, particularly in relation to NIHR CRN portfolio research studies.

Applicants must be NHS clinicians (clinical academics are not eligible) and must be a fellow or member of the RCoA. Clinicians can enter under one of three categories: consultant (including SAS), trainee (individual) and a new trainee network category.

Each award carries a £1,000 prize. Complete this short application form to apply. The deadline for applications is midnight on Friday 3 November 2017.

Research for all: Sharing good practice in research management

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has launched its new report - Research for all: Sharing good practice in research management.

Following the publication of Research for all in 2016, this follow up report outlines the conditions needed to support research directors, managers, clinical and non-clinical staff and, ultimately, patients. By way of over 50 case studies the report builds upon the recommendations for collaboration and provides real world examples of good practice to inspire both doctors and researchers alike.