Transforming health through innovation: Integrating the NHS and academia Research Culture and Capacity Plenary, Health and Care Research Wales Conference, 7th October 2020
Simon Denegri Executive Director
Background •
UK has an international reputation for excellence in biomedical & health research
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Research-active healthcare settings have better patient outcomes
Downing A, et al. (2017). Gut 66, 89–96.
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Unique assets: NHS and outstanding university sector
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Challenges: – Lack of capacity of NHS staff to engage with the research agenda – Decline in numbers of clinical academics – Widening gap between academia and the NHS Academia Focus on the REF Little engagement with the NHS
NHS Financial & operational deliverables Research viewed as ‘nice to have’
Our vision Urgent need to enhance the NHS-academia interface to better harness the research expertise & capability of the NHS 1. Accelerate the translation of research into patient benefit & population health
2. Increase the appeal of the UK to the Life Sciences industry
Recommendations will support the delivery of the: •
NHS Long Term plan and NHS People Plan
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Industrial Strategy
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Life Sciences Industrial Strategy & Sector Deals
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General Practice Forward View
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Topol Review
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CSR/R&D Roadmap
Case studies and good practice
Web Link: https://acmedsci.a c.uk/more/news/f uture-patient-careat-risk-unlesshealth-researchprotected-andboosted
Focus areas 1. Creating a healthcare system that truly values research 2. Fully integrating research teams across academia and the NHS 3. Providing dedicated research time for research-active NHS staff 4. Ensuring undergraduate curricula equip healthcare staff with the skills to engage with research 5. Incorporating flexibility into postgraduate training pathways 6. Streamlining research through joint R&D offices
1. Creating a healthcare system that values research To enhance how research is valued across the NHS: •
Responsibility of every NHS Trust Board to value & promote research – annual publication of research activities
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Development of a set of research metrics – Included in annual publication of research activities – Reported to NHS Trust Boards to inform workforce and job planning
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Research included in the ‘balanced scorecard’ being developed for the NHS Oversight Framework
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Development of a set of research metrics to evaluate the level of research activity & encourage further research in primary care & public health
2. Integrating research teams To promote integrated research teams: •
Award of honorary academic titles to healthcare professionals that contribute significantly to research: – Career development, mentoring, training & promotion opportunities – Access to grant machinery & journal subscriptions – PhD supervision
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Schemes to encourage greater mobility across sectors
3. Providing dedicated research time To provide healthcare professionals with protected time for research: •
Pilot in a number of hospitals – proportion of consultants to be offered a contract that includes a percentage of time protected for research
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Similar pilots for primary care practitioners, nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, dentists, pharmacists & public health practitioners
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Ring-fencing & reinvesting funding income from research in research endeavours (e.g. backfilling time dedicated to research)
4. Rethinking undergraduate training of health professionals To ensure all healthcare professionals can engage with research: •
Research component in all undergraduate healthcare degrees
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Opportunities for undergraduates to be exposed to research (e.g. intercalated degrees, short-term research projects)
5. Incorporating flexibility into postgraduate training To achieve greater flexibility in postgraduate training of healthcare professionals: •
‘Step out & step in’ training for medical trainees & capacity building in clinical research leadership
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Sustainable infrastructure for research & clear, flexible clinical academic career pathways across other healthcare professions
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Increasing the number of clinical academic posts provided by HEIs, particularly at reader & senior lecturer level.
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Development of agreed essential research competencies to inform curricula across healthcare professions
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Review of existing funding streams to ensure that research opportunities are available across all healthcare professions
6. Streamlining research through joint R&D offices To facilitate joint working across the NHS-academia interface: •
More integrated research office function between NHS R&D offices & HEI research offices
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Aim for integration into a single function
Opportunities and challenges Key features of current COVID-19 environment: •
Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) settlement
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Energy and drive behind R&D Roadmap and research culture agenda
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Disruption to research funding and careers particularly charities
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‘Restart research’ agenda
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Diagnostic testing response has accentuated key enablers: leadership, collaboration, regulatory environment, innovation.
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AMS leadership on regional agenda, mobility between sectors
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Public involvement and engagement agenda
COVID-19 engaging public & patients • Mental Health impacts of COVID-19 (survey of public and service user views) • PAGE – The Peoples Advisory Group for Emergencies (as part of Winter Scenarios project). • Planet DIVOC19 - a comic to empower young adults (1625 year olds) to make sense of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Thank you simon.denegri@acmedsci.ac.uk @acmedsci @SDenegri