Latest research and knowledge exchange news at Bournemouth University
The National Institute for Health Research have gathered some inspiring stories from people across England, whose lives have been transformed by clinical research. The stories cover a wide range of health conditions.
You can read them here.
Remember that support is on offer at BU if you are thinking of introducing your own research idea into the NHS – email Research Ethics for advice and take a look at the Clinical Governance blog.
Please see below for a message from the NIHR Workforce Development team –
‘We are pleased to inform you that the Association of British Insurers (ABI) have confirmed to the Health Research Authority that participation in clinical trials does not affect eligibility criteria for travel insurance and have now withdrawn their guidance document “Clinical research trials and insurance”.
ABI agree that taking part in a clinical trial should not affect insurance cover if the medical condition itself doesn’t. Please share the following message with your teams, organisations etc.
‘When individuals apply for travel insurance, insurers will typically ask questions about an individual’s health in order to make an accurate risk assessment. This risk assessment takes into consideration the health of the individual and the insurer will often ask questions about any pre-existing health conditions and medical treatments for those conditions. Travel insurers do not typically ask about clinical research trials. Where an insurer does ask an individual about their participation in clinical research trials, the insurer must ensure the question is clear and the individual should answer it accurately and honestly”.
If you are aware of instances when participation in a trial is given as a reason for not providing insurance or insurance being an obstacle to participation in clinical trials, please contact hrapublicinvolvement@nhs.net‘
Involving patients and/or the public in your clinical research is a great way to ensure that your study is designed and set-up in a way that will be attractive to participants.
This can also help to avoid any setbacks once the project is underway – e.g. scheduling research clinics at 08:30 in the morning at the hospital, when the majority of your participants can’t use their bus pass until 9 o’clock! You may find that recruitment is slow and you will have higher rates of non-compliance.
The Health Research Authority (HRA) released guidance last year to help applicants better identify where they have involved the public in their research applications, and the difference that made to their studies. The guidance sets out how applicants should present their information on public involvement within the Integrated Research Application System (IRAS) in a way that is most useful to Research Ethics Committees (RECs).
Further to this, the HRA have released two blog posts (the 3rd to be released next month) that follow the journey of a Research Fellow at the University of Surrey. Having used this new guidance, the first blog post looks into her thoughts on the advice and how it helped her to achieve success.
The second blog post involves discussion had with two members of the public that the Research Fellow worked with, to find out what it’s like to be involved in research.
Watch this space for the third blog post, and remember that support is on offer at BU if you are thinking of introducing your research ideas into the NHS – email the Research Ethics mailbox, and take a look at the Clinical Governance blog.
The above course is designed for those working as a Principal Investigator (PI) on clinical research projects, or those wishing to become a PI. It is particularly suited to those who have been in working in this role for less than 6 months.
The course will focus on the role and responsibilities of the PI, developing a greater understanding of the regulatory landscape in research, leadership, oversight and communication skills and the importance of building working relationships with local NHS Research & Development and Research & Innovation departments.
For further details of the course please email Kelly.Adams@nihr.ac.uk and to request the course agenda please email Research Ethics.
Remember that support is on offer at BU if you are thinking of introducing your research ideas into the NHS – email the Research Ethics mailbox, and take a look at the Clinical Governance blog.
Southern Health Research & Development will be holding the above conference on Wednesday 30th January, at the Hilton, Ageas Bowl in Southampton.
The conference is free and will feature a range of guest speakers focusing on research’s impact on population health and how this can not only improve the health of the population but also reduce health inequalities across diverse population groups. The programme for the day can be found here.
This event is open to everyone within research, business, and voluntary sectors as well as to the public – you can find out more and register through the Eventbrite link here.
The HRA are hosting three webinars this Thursday 10th January, for those undertaking healthcare research or for those applying for approval. You can book onto them by following this link.
On offer are the following webinars –
Remember that support is on offer at BU if you are thinking of introducing your research ideas into the NHS – email the Research Ethics mailbox, and take a look at the Clinical Governance blog.
Huge congratulations to our colleagues at neighbouring NHS Trusts, who have been shortlisted for a CRN Wessex Award!
The Wessex Awards comprises seven categories which celebrate those who have made outstanding contributions to the delivery of NIHR CRN portfolio studies. The categories are:
– Rising star
– Excellence in the delivery of commercial research studies
– Outstanding research professional
– Excellence in patient & public involvement & engagement
– Outstanding collaborative working
– Outstanding clinical trial support
– Outstanding research leaders
You can see the shortlist here.
Great to see those we work with closely being appreciated for their hard work. Congratulations again!
The NHS Long Term Plan has been released today, having been developed in partnership with those who know the NHS best – frontline health and care staff, patients and their families and other experts.
You can download the document here.
The plan discusses research and innovation throughout – see page 75 onward for plans surrounding research and innovation to drive future outcomes improvement.
There is a huge amount of research being conducted across the county by our neighbouring NHS Trusts – you can follow them all on Twitter on the links below.
It’s a great way to keep up to date with developments, news and upcoming events. as well as interesting articles related to healthcare research:
Follow Dorset County Hospital Research & Innovation’s page here;
Follow Royal Bournemouth Hospital’s Research page here:
Follow Dorset HealthCare Research & Development’s page here;
Follow Poole Hospital’s page here.
Happy tweeting!
Remember that support is on offer at BU if you are thinking of introducing your research ideas into the NHS – email the Research Ethics mailbox, and take a look at the Clinical Governance blog.
CHAIN is an online mutual support network for people working in health and social care. It gives people a simple and informal way of contacting each other to exchange ideas and share knowledge.
Members use CHAIN in all sorts of ways, from highly proactive networking to more passive ‘horizon-scanning’.
CHAIN also provides a simple mechanism for ideas which emerge in one context to be shared with fellow-members across boundaries of organisations, professions, and territories which makes the network unique.
Joining is free, and open to anyone working in these areas. You can see recent examples of feedback here, as well as a snapshot report here, of the network’s reach.
Follow CHAIN updates on Twitter; @CHAIN_Network ; Find them on Facebook; Connect with CHAIN on LinkedIn.
You may have seen an earlier post regarding recent developments, surrounding changes to the way that NHS research costs will be attributed and funded.
Acord specialists working within Local Clinical Research Networks (LCRN) are available to assist researchers in completing the SoECAT.
However, there is also further guidance and support on offer at BU. Email Research Ethics with any queries you may have, as well as requests for any guidance surrounding NHS research and associated procedures.
We have been informed by MRC of changes to the way that NHS research costs will be attributed and funded. You may already be aware but the Department of Health and NIHR have introduced a new attribution tool called the Schedule of Events Attribution Tool (SoECAT) which will now be mandatory for any researcher wishing to access resources within the NHS for their study. The Pilot stage for the project began on 1st October 2018 and there are three main changes;
1. Any researcher applying to a funding call that opened from 1st October will be required to submit a SoECAT with their proposal or with their second stage proposal if applying to a 2-stage application process.
2. All current research projects accessing resources within the NHS will be asked to migrate onto the new SoECAT system.
3. A ‘high threshold’ is being introduced where the portion of NHS costs attributed to Excess Treatment Costs (ETC) will in future be reassessed for value to the NHS before these ETC are funded. This threshold is set at more than 1M per study or 20,000 per patient.
There are Acord specialists working within Local Clinical Research Networks (LCRN) who are available to assist researchers in completing the SoECAT. It is anticipated that these Acord specialists will be in high demand and while DH is training more Acord specialists they advise that researchers wishing to access this resource do so early during preparation of their proposals.
During this Pilot stage MRC are working with DH and NIHR to devise appropriate ways of working for MRC applicants and will be able to update their Guidance for Applicants in early 2019.
Next steps for researchers undertaking/planning to undertake clinical studies;
1. Contact your Acord specialist within your LCRN for more information and to discuss completion of the SoECAT.
2. While they are updating MRC guidance more information can be found here on the NIHR web-site.
If you have any questions, please contact your LCRN Acord specialist.
The Dementia Education And Learning Through Simulation 2 (DEALTS 2) programme has been shortlisted for the 9th National Dementia Care Awards 2018 in the Best Dementia Training Initiative category, which recognises the vital role of effective training in dementia care. Today is the judging day and the award will be made to an individual or organisation that can demonstrate the value of a training initiative which has been successfully implemented.
“I was over the moon when I found out DEALTS 2 had been shortlisted, it is a real honour to be a finalist in the 2018 competition,” says Dr Michelle Heward, 1/4 of the DEALTS 2 research team. “We had been nominated by a colleague from another university who completed an application.”
The DEALTS 2 programme is a national simulation-based dementia education programme for hospital staff with regular contact with people with dementia. The programme is an innovative, low cost, high impact training toolkit which aims to facilitate staff to consider experiences from the point of view of a person living with dementia, enabling staff to see beyond the diagnosis and see the person.
These resources can be adapted to be relevant in different settings and have been designed using low key simulation scenarios, which will allow staff to make positive changes to how they care and support people with dementia. The training also integrates theory into practice introducing the Humanising Values Framework (HVF) a philosophical lens developed at BU that identifies potentially humanising and dehumanising care and support. The HVF enables trainers to support staff morals as well as improve the care of people with dementia.
“The team has worked hard to deliver 13 train-the-trainer sessions nationally across England in 2017 with 196 trainers attending. The toolkit has been developed iteratively to encapsulate feedback from dementia specialists, trainers and informal carers,” says Dr Heward.
Click here to find out more about the DEALTS 2 programme, or get in touch with Dr Michelle Heward here. The DEALTS team includes Professor Jane Murphy, Dr Michele Board and Ashley Spriggs.
Our very own Professor Roger Baker is facilitating a one day workshop on Emotional Processing Therapy for PTSD in Leeds on 26th October 2018.
The workshop will explore what an emotional processing style is and how this is relevant to the development and presentation of PTSD, there will be a range of teaching, skills training, role play, discussion and exploring case studies.
Please see flyer here for more information or book online here.
Don’t forget, BUCRU can provide FREE methodological advice and support in designing your research project. We’re based on the 5th floor of Royal London House so feel free to pop in and see us, call us on 61939 or send us an email.
We were pleased to announce earlier in the year that the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has awarded us a further five years of funding to continue our work as the RDS South West. Today marks the beginning of our third five-year contract.
This NIHR funding allows RDS advisers in the South West to continue offering free and confidential advice, drawing on a unique breadth of experience and established track record in improving funding applications.
Please see our latest BUCRU/CoPMRE newsletter or find out more about how we could help you by visiting RDS SW website or contacting the RDS South West Bournemouth Office hosted within BUCRU (Bournemouth University Clinical Research Unit):
Bournemouth University
Room R505, Royal London House
Christchurch Road
Bournemouth
Dorset, BH1 3LT
Tel: 01202 961939
Email: wardl@bournemouth.ac.uk
Places are going fast for our conference next month. See full programme here. If you would like to secure a place please register here.
See you there.
Macmillian has published the specialist cancer adult nursing and support workforce census 2017.
The Education Policy Institute has published research on vulnerable children and social care in England.
On Tuesday there is a Westminster Hall debate on safeguarding children and young people in sport, and a Health and Social Care Select Committee examining childhood obesity.
Meindert Boysen has been appointed as Director of the Centre for Health Technology Evaluation.
On Friday Jeremy Hunt launched a review into the impact of technological advances on the NHS workforce.
On Wednesday there will be an adjournment debate on Mental Health Services
Clive Efford has joined the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee as a member. On Wednesday this committee will meet to consider Fake News.
David Clark, Kenny Dey and Nick Terrell have been appointed as members of the Oil & Gas UK Trade Association.
On Tuesday the Education Select Committee will examine Alternative Provision.
On Tuesday the Home Affairs Committee will meet to discuss Policing for the future.
On Wednesday there will be a Westminster Hall debate on reducing plastic waste in the maritime environment.
There is a new register of All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPG). Check the list to see which fit with your research interests (scroll down past the country groups to the subject groups).
This week the following APPGs will meet: Social Work (on Tuesday), Industrial Heritage (Tuesday), Archaeology (Tuesday), Carers (Wednesday).
Catch up on last week’s policy news here, or email policy@bournemouth.ac.uk to subscribe.
Friday 6th October St Mary’s Maternity Unit, part of Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, held a Whose Shoes? event in Poole. Whose Shoes?® is a facilitation tool to help empower both staff and service users of services. Friday’s event was led by Gill Phillips, the person behind the original idea of Whose Shoes?®. Gill’s approach involves promoting understanding and empathy by looking at issues from a wide range of perspectives from a range of possible stakeholders.
The event Poole was initiated by NHS midwife Jillian Ireland, who is also BU Visiting Faculty in our Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH). She was assisted by Dr. Jen Leamon, who helped facilitate NHS maternity staff, pregnant women and new mothers, in their discussions. Jen is Senior Lecturer in Midwifery at BU and she facilitated the discussion with the aid of the Whose Shoes? board game. In the afternoon Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen (also based in CMMPH) led a discussion of reflection and reflective practice with midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs). CMMPH’s involvement in the event is part of our wider collaboration with the NHS locally in the field of midwifery education.
The Whose Shoes? board game is also by CMMPH in a very different context as PhD student Alice Ladur has translated the game to test it in Uganda. Alice first did a pilot study with African men living in London before embarking on a project to improve men’s involvement in maternity care in rural Uganda.
BU staff can login below:
MSCA Staff Exchanges 2024 Call – internal deadline
Applications are now open for 2025 ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowships!
BU Professor has been invited to a series of plenary and invited lectures.
An Interview of BU-lead EU H2020 FIRST project published in “Horizon”, the EU Research & Innovation Magazine
Update on Horizon Europe Guarantee Horizon Europe Update – January 2023
Research Information Network