Growing research at Newham hospital
Nurses and Allied Health Professionals are supercharging the role of clinical research at Newham hospital in a bid to transform health and care delivery for patients and staff.
Having overseen a four-fold expansion in the number of new studies, the hospital is planning to double the number of patients recruited into clinical trials this year.
The aim is to improve clinical outcomes, enhance population health, and put the hospital on the map for world-leading partnerships in the life science sector.
Raising the research profile of this busy district general hospital will contribute to further enhancing the reputation of Barts Health as a leading research institution.
Newham has trebled the number of dedicated research posts, with two research nurse leads appointed over the summer and another three starting this month.
It is also investing in pharmacy capacity to be able to deliver trials of new medicines, and in new equipment for diagnostic imaging.
Five consultants were recently awarded sessions as principal investigators to enhance clinical leadership, and hospital teams are participating in over 100 studies.
Children, reproductive health and childbirth feature prominently in the topics covered, alongside aspects of trauma and emergency care.
A research hub with a dozen desks is open in the new modular building as the hospital seeks to act as a satellite of the trust’s proposed new clinical research facility at The Royal London.
“A lot of clinical staff want to be involved and there is a real can-do attitude here,” said Sophie Welch, senior research nurse and deputy director of clinical research. “We are a role model for other trusts.”
Anjum Bahadur, consultant paediatric haematologist, said: “The hospital sees large numbers of patients with diabetes, sickle cell disease and thalassaemia and there is huge potential for conducting clinical trials into drugs and treatments for these conditions.”
Jenny Rivers, group director of research and development, said: “Clinical research will deliver huge steps forward in healthcare and this is a fantastic opportunity for our patients and partners to get involved. Health outcomes are better in those hospitals that do clinical research, even for patients not directly involved.”
The expansion comes as Whipps Cross hosts an Academic Centre for Healthy Ageing to improve care and support for people as they grow older.
Barts Health consistently recruits the most patients in the country to commercial clinical trials of new medicines and is one of the biggest recruiters to publicly-funded research studies.
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