Clinical Research for all: 100% of NHS are now Research Active

The NIHR Research Activity League Table provides a picture of how much clinical research is happening, where, in what types of trusts, and involving how many patients. Promoting, conducting and using clinical research to improve treatments for patients is part of the NHS England Constitution.
 
The 2015/16 league table is topped by Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for the fifth year running with the highest number of research studies [514]. Barts Health NHS Trust feature at the top of the league table for the amount of commercial studies delivered [140 studies], and also have the biggest increase in studies from last year [279 to 335] joint with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust [365 to 421] who both saw a 56 study increase.
 
Primary care research is also highlighted as part of the league table, listing the extent of research activity happening in Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) regions across the country. Greater Manchester NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), achieved a remarkable 700% increase in research activity from last years data. Last year over 42% of English GP practices recruited people to NIHR research studies.
 
Commenting on the league table results, Chris Whitty, Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department of Health said: 
 

“The support and infrastructure provided by the National Institute for Health Research has year on year helped increase the number of research opportunities offered within the NHS. Commercial partnerships supported by the Clinical Research Network continue to play a key role in bringing world-class research studies to the UK, benefiting our health service and ensuring new treatments are available to patients as quickly as possible.”

 
Nicola Blackwood, Public Health and Innovation Minister, said:
 

"It is very encouraging to see continued growth in research activity in our health service. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is the UK’s largest health research funder and one of the largest in the world.

 

"Our ambition is to build on the country's unique relationship between patients, the NHS, researchers and the life sciences industry to develop new treatments for patients.

 

"The NIHR Research Activity League Table recognises those NHS trusts that have worked incredibly hard to support this vision and bring new research opportunities to their patients."

 
The NIHR Research Activity League Table can be accessed from the NIHR website: www.nihr.ac.uk/nihrleaguetable.
 
Reference: NIHR