New figures show state of clinical research in the NHS3 January 2012 The National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network has published new statistics that provide an insight into the current state-of-play for clinical research in the NHS in England. Funded by the Department of Health, the role of the
Clinical Research Network is to provide an infrastructure to support
clinical research delivery in the NHS. It does this by funding
thousands of research nurses and support staff across the country,
who recruit suitable patients into studies, carry out clinical
research activities, and manage the delivery of research studies to
time and target. The figures show that:
NIHR Clinical Research Network chief executive, Dr Jonathan Sheffield, said: “Our ability to deliver clinical research studies in the NHS efficiently is vital to the economy, and to the development of better treatments for patients. The figures we have published show that things are heading in the right direction, but we are not complacent. We know there is still a lot of work ahead of us to improve the speed of study set-up and maintain a higher level of consistency in delivering trials to time and target for the research community.” Dr Sheffield pointed to the Clinical Research Network’s major “lean” initiative to bring efficiencies to research set-up and delivery, which should start to take effect in 2013. He continued: “We are using the lessons of industry to make the delivery of clinical research quicker and slicker in the NHS — but it’s important to remember that we are doing this for patients. A research-active NHS means we can bring break-through treatments to patients more quickly, and we can keep on improving the health service.” More information The Clinical Research Network is part of the NHS National Institute for Health Research. It provides researchers and NHS organisations with the practical support they need to make clinical studies happen in the NHS, so that more research takes place across England, and more patients can take part. This practical support includes:
More information at: www.crncc.nihr.ac.uk
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