Important information
News
Welcome to our news section where you can keep up to date with all that is going on in research locally and nationally, along with professional training and qualification updates and study updates.
Local Research News
Local publications:
HWHCT Research Newsletters
June 2023: OUT SOON
April 2023: April 2023 Research newsletter .pdf [pdf] 942KB
February 2023: FINAL Research February 2023 update.pdf [pdf] 914KB
December 2022: Research December 2022 update.pdf [pdf] 1MB
CRN WM (Clinical Research Network West Midlands) Bulletin
2.6.23: CRN WM Bulletin #78 (campaign-archive.com)
19.5.23: CRN WM Bulletin #77 (campaign-archive.com)
5.5.23: CRN WM Bulletin #76 (campaign-archive.com)
14.4.23: CRN WM Bulletin #75 (campaign-archive.com)
31.3.23: CRN WM Bulletin #74 (campaign-archive.com)
CRN WM (Clinical Research Network West Midlands) Wellbeing Bulletin
Meditation and Mental Health - June 2023
Grit and Determination - May 2023
19.5.23: Mental Health Awareness Week - Anxiety
Wellbeing Bulletin - April 2023
Local research news:
Save the date: EBP virtual conference: ‘Leaders in their field and inspirational research journeys:' Monday 16 – Friday 20 October 2023
We will be holding our 3rd EBP conference from Monday 16 – Friday 20 October 2023 in virtual sessions grouped into speciality topic areas, running roughly between 10.30am - 1.30pm each day.
We plan have a confirmed agenda soon and to open booking in July so watch this space. For any queries please email us.
PI (Principal Investigator) essentials virutal training
Are you a new PI or someone who's interested in finding out more? Then please get in touch and complete this doodlepoll for July 2023 training dates.
Aims and objectives of the course are:
- Discuss the PI leadership role in effective study identification, set up, recruitment and conduct.
- Explore 3 elements of success in PI role: engagement, oversight and communication
- Identify the skills and behaviours required to be an effective PI
Staff and student Shadowing opportunities with the R&D Team (available from April 2023)
R&D team members, Maria and Amber, have developed a shadowing day to enable more people to gain access to a basic understanding of how NHS health research works and show the paths that can be taken to get more involved.
If you or anyone you know in your team is interested please don’t hesitate to get in touch by emailing us: WHCNHS.ResearchDevelopment@nhs.net
Momentous milestone reached for the first time by this Trust’s Research and Development (R&D) Team (March 2023)
- For the first time ever the R&D Team here at HWHCT recruited over 500 people to research studies in the year Oct 2021 - Sept 2022!
- Not only is this the highest number of people ever recruited to take part in research in this Trust in a year, but it brings with it hugely important additional funding
- Sam Topping, Research and Development Manager says: ‘This is a HUGE achievement made possible by the public who have participated and fantastic colleagues across the Trust who have: directly helped run and deliver research; taken part in studies, and who have promoted what’s happening. The R&D Team could not have done it without you all so a HUGE thank you.’
- A wide variety of different studies recruited participants to reach this milestone, including COVID questionnaire studies, Dietetic studies, Learning Difficulties studies and Mental Health studies
Research in Wider Care and Communities Site - Now Live! (20.2.23)
The Research in Wider Care and Communities site has been created to provide one space for the research delivery community to access key information, which it needs to engage and recruit in wider care and community settings and services. This has been developed as part of a Supraregional initiative by East of England, East Midlands and West Midlands Clinical Research Networks to provide one space for the research delivery community to access key information which they need to engage and recruit in wider care and community settings and services.
Older Adults Team – research work published
We are really thrilled to be able to share the links to some of the articles that have been published by team members within this Trust’s Older Adults Team. HUGE congratulations to everyone involved!
- Title: Service Evaluation: Exploring service user and caregiver experience of remote assessment and intervention within a dementia service during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Authors: Natasha Czerwinski, Julia Cook, Joanne Martin & Hanneke Monks
FPOP Bulletin (Faculty of the Psychology of Older People: BPS) No.154 April 2021, page 10-17 ISSN: 2396-9660 (Online)
- Title: Suspected dementia, the eye and the ‘mind’s eye’: How primary care eye specialists could support early identification of Alzheimer’s Disease and its variants.
Authors: Claire Rowley and Julia Cook
Publication: The Neuropsychologist (BPS)
Issue 14, Oct 2022, pages 8-17
- Title: The neuropsychological impact of vitamin B12 deficiency and its relevance to assessment of suspected dementia
Authors: Claire Rowley and Julia Cook
Publication: Memory Services National Accreditation Programme (MSNAP)
Issue 23, Dec 2022, pages 4-5
- Title: Suspected dementia, the eye and the ‘mind’s eye’: How primary care eye specialists could support early identification of Alzheimer’s disease and its variants.
Authors:
Publication: The Neuropsychologist, 14, 8-17.
- Title: Do service-users find the outcome of Mild Cognitive Impairment useful? A summary of Blatchford & Cook’s (2020) systematic review
Authors: Rowley, C., Cook, J. & Blatchford, L.
- Title: Young Onset Dementia in the Early Intervention Dementia Service: a service review of referral and outcome data
Authors: Emma Bick (Assistant Psychologist) & Dr Joanne Martin (Clinical Psychologist)
Early Intervention in Dementia Service, Worcestershire
Research collaborator launch - Nov 2022
We are really excited to launch a new role enabling people to get involved in research – the Research Collaborator. Similar to a ‘champion’ role, anyone and everyone who works within this Trust is welcome to get involved – you do NOT have to be clinically trained or have any research experience.
If you want to help us promote research within your teams as well as to patients, maybe learn something new, meet a group of like-minded people, and can give 1 hour a month (max), then we’d love to hear from you. We have already run 3 virtual Q&A sessions about the role which have been well attended but are very happy to organise more early in the new year. Please email: alice.madden1@nhs.net for further information.
A budding partnership: SW Healthcare outreach vaccination van and health research promotion - Oct/Nov 2022
It’s been a busy autumn with members of the R&D team joining the SW Healthcare vaccination van out and about in the Worcester area (only certain cohorts eligible – please check here).
From early 2021 up until summer 2022, SW Healthcare ran the 3 large Covid vaccinations centres in Worcestershire: The Artrix (Bromsgrove); St. Peter’s Baptist church, Worcester and at the Malvern showground. This autumn they’ve been at different community hubs making access to Covid boosters accessible and convenient for people.
Vaccinations are only available due to health research and EVERYONE involved in the process – study teams, Health Research Authority (HRA), National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), clinicians within NHS Trusts etc and crucially people – like you and me – participating. So us promoting and chatting about research alongside the vaccination van seemed like a good match.
We have been warmly welcomed by the vaccination van teams and it has been great for us to properly pilot outreach research promotion. Engaging with the public in a familiar, local community place for them, not just clinical settings, has been fantastic both for the public and us, and something that we will continue to build on.
Research Innovation and Improvement projects - work starting September 2022
At the end of 2021 the 3 NHS Trusts across Herefordshire and Worcestershire, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust, Wye Valley NHS Trust and us – HWHCT, were successful in a project funding bid from the Clinical Research Network West Midlands (CRN WM). It is GREAT that this funding has been secured allowing us time and resource to really focus on driving research forwards across the 2 counties. Things will really get started in September so keep an eye open for updates.
The 4 projects are:
- HaRV: HeAlth Research Vehicle: A feasibility study will be completed on running a vehicle equipped to enable the research teams to promote and undertake health research off site at other medical sites i.e. GP practises, dentists etc, as well as non-medical sites such as libraries and supermarkets. The ethos of this project is very much ‘taking research to the people’ and making ourselves more visible and accessible.
A Research Van was launched in the Manchester area at the end of 2021. The below gives a flavour of what we would like to see here in Herefordshire and Worcestershire:
State-of-the-art Research Van available for research delivery across Greater Manchester (11.7.22)
A new state-of-the-art Research Van is available to support the delivery of research projects at community locations across the region. Read more here.
- SHAREO: A full evaluation of how shared office resources can be more effective. A review of each element of the set-up process AND ongoing governance requirements of organisations across several organisations to identify opportunities for efficiency and improved quality of research, with a focus on digital opportunities for efficiency. A proposal for a new operating model along with making sites more attractive to commercial research.
- MAPCOE: MAPP ing COllAbOrAting EMPOwEring sErviCEs: There is a vast untapped resource of potential engagement that we do not have capacity to identify, and in our current model, are unable to provide support to these services even if we did. We need to be able to map research interested clinicians across all professions and create a plan within each team of how they will engage with research without reliance on the research team. We need innovative ways to empower clinical services to deliver studies relevant to their clinical need. One way to do this will be to adapt the model of our research support so that we are able to increase the breadth of our services along with linking up to interested 3rd parties to ensure the population benefits from research.
- DIGENATE: Data and digital is a key theme of the CRN West Midlands Entry Plan and the NIHR. A Training Needs Analysis of digital skills in the Research Workforce across the West Midlands will be carried out. We will develop training packages that can be pre-recorded and be available online to the entire workforce across the West Midlands. We will identify further opportunities to digitalise operations to make research more efficient, shadowing the research workforce and developing solutions.
Award winning Research Team here at HWHCT! (7.6.22)
It was the ‘NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) Clinical Research Network West Midland’s Awards’ last week which celebrates the huge range of clinical research taking place right here in the West Midlands - from COVID-19 vaccine studies to staff wellbeing on Paediatric Intensive Care Units.
This Trusts Research and Development Team is absolutely thrilled to announce that they were joint winners in the ‘Team of the Year’ award category! This award recognises the teams judged to have made the greatest contribution to clinical research in the region in the last 12 months. Members from the Research and Development Team were part of the Worcestershire Covid-19 Trial Response Team along with Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, CRN West Midlands Primary Care and Across Teams, University of Birmingham Students, which supported the delivery of the national priority Covid Trials. Read more here: Award winning Research Team attachment June 2022.docx [docx] 986KB
Local participation in national research study published 21.12.21
Huge congratulations to Marti van der Linde (Community Paediatric Dietitian Worcestershire North) who, as part of a team, had their work published online in 'Nutrition in Clinical Practise' just before Christmas. This was a commercial study run by Nestle and looked to 'Monitor gastrointestinal tolerance in children who have switched to an “enteral formula with food-derived ingredients”: A national, multicenter retrospective chart review (RICIMIX study).'
To read the article and outcomes in full please click here.
National Research news
Headline national news:
Be Part of Research - now on the NHS App (Feb 2023)
The online service - Be Part of Research - which makes it easy for people to find and take part in health and care research, is now available through the NHS App in England.
The service, run by the NIHR, helps members of the public understand what research is and what it might mean to take part, as well as showing the research currently happening across the UK.
Through the Be Part of Research website, people can search for what trials and studies are taking place for particular health conditions they are interested in, at locations that are easy for them to get to. Read more here.
News:
Global health researchers awarded prestigious NIHR Professorships (22.5.23)
Four leading health researchers working in Africa and Asia have been awarded NIHR Global Research Professorships. Read more here.
Cancer survivor calls on others to Shape the Future of research (20.5.23)
A patient who beat cancer after taking part in a clinical trial is calling on the public to get involved with the NIHR's ‘Shape the Future’ campaign.
This comes as new figures are produced by the NIHR to coincide with International Clinical Trials Day (20 May 2023). They show more than 150,000 people have signed up to the NIHR’s Be Part of Research register in just nine months. Read more here.
Commercial study set up times reduced by 45% in the UK (19.5.23)
Data from the first six months of the National Contract Value Review process shows that, on average, commercial studies are achieving study set-up milestones 95 days quicker. Read more here.
Blood pressure drug can treat severe acne in women (18.5.23)
A cheap and readily available drug, used to treat high blood pressure, could help thousands of women who suffer from persistent acne. Read more here.
New Evidence Synthesis Groups given £22.5m to investigate research gaps (15.5.23)
The NIHR’s Evidence Synthesis Programme has commissioned 9 new specialist research groups. These Evidence Synthesis Groups (ESG) will investigate gaps in knowledge. Research areas will span healthcare, public health and social care. Read more here.
Artificial intelligence could speed up heart attack diagnosis (15.5.23)
New research funded by NIHR and the British Heart Foundation could soon be used by doctors to diagnose heart attacks more quickly and accurately. The research was led by scientists at the University of Edinburgh, who tested an algorithm on over 10,000 patients around the world. Read more here.
New Chairs confirmed for NIHR Dementia Translational Research Collaboration (12.5.23)
The NIHR Dementia Translational Research Collaboration (D-TRC) are pleased to announce its new leadership. They will spearhead the next five years of clinical dementia research development and delivery. The new Chair and joint Deputy Chairs will be at the forefront of convening dementia expertise and leading ground-breaking translational dementia research. Read more here.
NIHR one of 9 research funders providing £multi-million HDR UK funding (10.5.23)
NIHR is 1 of 9 UK research funders awarding more than £70 million in funding to Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) over the next 5 years. Read more here.
NIHR tops international chart for clinical trial transparency (4.5.23)
The NIHR is the only research funder worldwide that has implemented the World Health Organisation's full set of recommendations to ensure clinical trial transparency. Read more here.
NIHR launches Shape the Future campaign calling on people to be part of research (3.5.23)
The NIHR is launching a new campaign calling on people to help shape the future by taking part in research that could one day help the NHS save lives. Read more here.
NIHR research funding awarded to address the global burden of injuries and accidents, and urgent and emergency care (25.4.23)
The NIHR has funded five new research projects to help tackle the global burden of unintentional injuries, urgent and emergency care. Read more here.
Professional News, Training and Qualification updates
NEWS:
For all past editions please click back and view in News Archive.
CRN (Clinical Research Network) Connect newsletters
NHS Research and Development Forum newsletters
17 April 2023 - Red for Research - Save the date! 16.6.23
Be Part of Research Newsletter
Clinical Research Practitioner (CRP) Directory Bulletin ( Homepage - Clinical Research Practitioners Directory - NIHR (ahcs.ac.uk))
Health Research Authority (HRA) Updates
UK Community Nursing Research Forum (hosted by the Queen's Nursing Institute)
Join Dementia Research newsletter
Training
Click here for training.
News Archive
Archive of local publications:
HWHCT Research and Development Newsletters
June 2022: June 2022 .pdf [pdf] 725KB
April 2022: April 2022 update.pdf [pdf] 738KB
February 2022: February 2022 update.pdf [pdf] 324KB
Christmas 2021: Research newsletter Christmas 2021.pdf [pdf] 4MB
Autumn 2021: Research quarterly newsletter Autumn 2021.pdf [pdf]
Summer 2021: Research quarterly newsletter summer 2021.pdf [pdf] 741KB
Clinical Research Network West Midlands (CRN WM) Bulletin (2023 editions)
17.3.23: CRN WM Bulletin #73 (campaign-archive.com)
3.3.23: CRN WM Bulletin #72 (campaign-archive.com)
17.2.23: CRN WM Bulletin #71 (campaign-archive.com)
3.2.23: CRN WM Bulletin #70 (campaign-archive.com)
6.1.23: CRN WM Bulletin #69 (campaign-archive.com)
CRN WM (Clinical Research Network West Midlands) Wellbeing Bulletin
Wellbeing Bulletin - March 2023
Staying motivated in the winter months - February 2023
Wellbeing Bulletin - January 2023
Support in the current climate (December)
Wellbeing Bulletin - December 2022
Wellbeing Bulletin - November 2022
Wellbeing Bulletin - October 2022
Archive of national publications
CRN (Clinical Research Network) Connect newsletters
NHS Research and Development Forum newsletter
Be Part of Research Newsletter
Health Research Authority (HRA) Updates
Clinical Research Practitioner (CRP) Directory Bulletin ( Homepage - Clinical Research Practitioners Directory - NIHR (ahcs.ac.uk))
UK Community Nursing Research Forum (hosted by the Queen's Nursing Institute)
January Newsletter - QNI Community Nursing Research Forum (mailchi.mp)
Study updates
Hearing Nasty Voices
We were pleased to be one of the first NHS Trust’s to open this study in February 2020 and, although paused during COVID, was open through until December 2021. 3 people were recruited contributing to the 308 participants recruited in total.
HUGE thanks to teams in this Trust involved in this study who have helped broaden understanding of the potential causes of distress in voice hearers focussing on one type of experience – hearing derogatory or threatening voices. Click below to read the full report: https://academic.oup.com/schizophreniabulletin/article/49/1/151/6659785
Psychological Impact of COVID-19 - intial results from phase 1 of the study (December 2021)
The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 (phase 1) looked at the psychological impact of the first lockdown, the relaxation of lockdown rules and the compulsory face coverings period. These inital results show the varying impacts of each of the above listed periods on different population sub groups - including gender, age, ethnicity and professional groups. Please click here to read the full article.
HUGE thanks to everyone who took part.
COPE-WM: Initial findings from this study were released 19.11.21
COPE-WM was a far reaching questionnaire study available to anyone who worked in healthcare. It closed at the end of September 2021.
The study released their initial findings on 19.11.21 which included:
- Unsurprisingly those healthcare employees who had a positive COVID-19 test result were more likely to provide direct care to patients with COVID-19
- There was poor infection control at the beginning of the pandemic but effective infection control measures were implemented after this initial period
- Experience of working during the pandemic:
- Demand as outstripping capacity
- Peer support at work was as important as ever
- Morally challenging decisions in the workplace
- Mixed re-deployment experiences
- Impact on mental health:
- Mental health deterioration experienced during the pandemic
- Uncertainty during the pandemic
- Mental health coping mechanisms disabled
- Working from home as problematic for mental health
- Positive antibody rates:
- Prior to vaccination 46% of participants had had a COVID infection (included study participants who had answered ‘yes’ as being symptomatic who then qualified to receive an antibody test kit)
- From December 2020 rates of antibody positivity rise dramatically following the 1st and 2nd dose of vaccination to 98+%
- A study coming in the new year – COCO – will further look into the issues raised here
They have only released preliminary findings including the above so we will share the full report once it’s released.
We’ve also received a request from the study regarding the follow up survey:
‘Thank you to everyone that took the time to complete the COPE-WM study baseline survey. If you completed the baseline survey and this was more than 4 months ago you should have received an email asking you to complete the follow up survey for the study. The email was sent to the email address you provided when asked for your personal email address when you completed the baseline survey. Thank you to everyone who has already completed their follow up survey.
Please be aware that for some participants the COPE-WM study emails have been filtered to their spam/junk folder – please check there if you think you should have received an email
If, however, you received a request email but have not yet completed the survey we would encourage you to do so to ensure your follow up data contributes to the study outcomes. Survey completion should take no more than 20 minutes of your time.
If you took part in the study more than 4 months ago and either have not received an email request to complete the follow up survey or remember receiving one but are no longer able to access it and would like to complete the survey please contact the study research team by email:
If you took part less than 4 months ago please keep an eye out for the email about the follow up that you should receive in the next few weeks.
The higher the number of participants who complete their follow up survey the better the study will be able to understand the impact of COVID-19 on people working in healthcare settings.’
THANK YOU once again to everyone who took part in this study.
iMCSP (individualised Meeting Centres Support Programme) – initial findings
We were involved in this research study a few years ago so please click below for the results: CIA_A_212852 1527..1553 (dovepress.com). Thank you to those who were involved.
SYMBAD trial results - October 2021
HWHCT took part in this trial so we were really pleased to receive these results at the end of October 2021. The main results have been published in the Lancet: https://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S0140673621012101 but please see below for the summary outcomes:
‘In summary we found that there was no benefit in taking mirtazapine compared with placebo, there was even the possibility of harm with a marginally higher rate of mortality in the mirtazapine group. The clear conclusion from the data is that they do not support the use of mirtazapine as a treatment for agitation in dementia. Positively there was clear recovery in those that participated in both the placebo and the mirtazapine group. This means that the best thing to do clinically may be to actively monitor agitation while carrying out treatment as usual, rather than jumping to use another medication in all but the most serious of cases.
This is a result that has important implications to clinical practice, and we hope that you will join with us in disseminating the findings as widely as possible. There has been a press release: Research news - Common antidepressant should no longer be used to treat people with dementia - University of Exeter by the University of Plymouth and the team would be happy to work with your local institutions and Trusts should you wish to provide further public information. Alzheimer’s Research UK has also published an article: Antidepressant drug doesn’t improve agitation in dementia trial - Alzheimer's Research UK (alzheimersresearchuk.org) ’
HUGE thanks to everyone who was involved in this study at HWHCT.
PrEP Impact Trial – A pragmatic health technology assessment and implementation.
PrEP (HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis) is a medicine for HIV negative people and it can reduce the risk of catching HIV when taken as instructed. However this is currently not available through the NHS.
PrEP is made up of two drugs, Tenofovir and Emtricitabine. Both these drugs have been widely used for many years to treat HIV and the drug has been used by several thousands of HIV negative people worldwide to reduce the risk of HIV.
To plan a PrEP programme in England, NHS England and Local Authorities carried out research to find out:
- How many people attending sexual health clinics need PrEP?
- How many of these start PrEP?
- How long do they need PrEP for?
In this Trust the study ran across the 3 Sexual Health Services; Arrowside, John Anthony Centre and Hereford and 64 patients were recruited. All participants in this study had access to PrEP.
This study has now closed but we will share the outcomes when they are published later this year. A huge thank you to everyone who was involved.