NNUH to host new NIHR Regional Research Delivery Network
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced that a new NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) will commence in 2024 to support the successful delivery of health and social care research in England.
As part of this, 12 new Regional Research Delivery Networks (RRDNs) will be hosted by NHS organisations the length and breadth of the country, covering all English regions. After an open competition, our hospital Trust was successful in its bid to become the RRDN for the East of England. The RRDNs are being launched on 1 October 2024.
The RRDNs will form part of the NIHR Research Delivery Network, which will operate as a single organisation across England. The joint leadership function will balance regional context, expertise and leadership, with national coordination and strategy, involving DHSC policymakers.
Prof Erika Denton, Consultant Radiologist and executive lead for research at NNUH, said: “We are delighted to be announced as a Regional Research Delivery Network host and we are looking forward to building on the successful relationships we have fostered over the last nine years as hosts of NIHR Clinical Research Network East of England.
“It is a huge privilege to run the network from our Trust and we have seen how being active in clinical research can lead to improvements in patient care. Our Trust has a very active and expanding research portfolio and we are looking forward to championing and increasing clinical research participation across the NHS and social care.”
The new NIHR RDN will support the country’s world-class research system to deliver high quality research that enables the best care for patients and the public. It will work across the health and care system, with staff in all health and care settings, to support the effective and efficient initiation and delivery of research. This will benefit people receiving care now and in the future. It will support the NHS and care services and generate benefits for the economy of the UK.
The new RDN, working with the wider system, will enhance equality of opportunity for people to get involved in research, no matter who they are or which part of the country they reside. It will enable research activity to follow patient and service user need, ensuring research is conducted in communities living with the greatest disease burden, in collaboration with patients, carers and the public, investigators and study sites.
Dr Helen Macdonald, Chief Operating Officer for the NIHR Clinical Research Network East of England, said: “We are delighted to hear this excellent news which will provide stability and continuity for our region’s research community, allowing all NIHR East of England Partners to build on the incredible progress made to deliver health and care research.”
See the NIHR press release for more information.