Research & Innovation Monthly E-bulletin

June 2013

Welcome to this edition of the R&I Monthly E-bulletin. This month’s issue provides the usual funding

opportunities, updates from our charitable partners and departmental news. If you have an item to

add to July’s bulletin please email it to Victoria.Church@UHBristol.nhs.uk by Friday 21 July.

This month’s message from David Wynick

Every year we are paid delivery funding based on our activity in recruiting patients into NIHR studies

during the previous year. The allocation of funding, made in April is based on our activity for the

previous January to December. As an organisation we take a share of the funding allocated to the

region as a whole, and that share is determined largely by our relative performance. The amount per

participant, whilst not a pass through payment, is determined by the “band” of research study to

which they were recruited:

Band 3 – interventional studies, predominantly Clinical Trials of Investigational Medicinal Products (CTIMPs) or device studies

Band 2 – observational studies, often genetic sampling or questionnaires

Band 1 – studies which are expected to have a total global recruitment of >10,000 participants

The value of funding per band varies; for 2012/13 funding for 1 participant into a Band 3 study is

equivalent to 14 in a Band 1 study and a participant in a Band 2 study is funded at 3 times the level

of a Band 1 participant. The higher weighting is allocated to take into account factors such as more

study visits which may be more complex, and longer follow up. Commercial studies are not included

in this.

With only 6 months to go before the WCLRN review our weighted recruitment figures and determine

our funding allocation for 2014/15, we are looking ahead to project whether we are on track to meet

our target. Part of this work is underway and has involved looking more closely at why studies are

not delivering to target, whether appropriate reporting of recruitment is in place and where we have

capacity to increase our portfolio.

Our current weighted recruitment is well below our target for this year. This target is devised from

the figures of last year to allow us to sustain our research workforce to deliver NIHR studies in this

Trust. Whilst we appreciate the hard work of all of our researchers and how much has already been

done, we really have to work together in order to achieve our target by the end of the year.

If you are particularly struggling to deliver your study on time to target, interested in increasing your

research portfolio or have any ideas on how we can increase our recruitment please contact Jess

Bisset, our acting Operations Manager.

With best wishes

Professor David Wynick Director of Research

Contents List

R&I Departmental News Celebrating Successes Feature - Bronchiolitis of Infancy Discharge Study (BIDS) Upcoming Events Grants & Upcoming Awards Training & Employment Opportunities

R&I Departmental News

EDGE Handy Hint: EDGE Handy Hint #11: General Documents on the Homepage contains

EDGE user guides and UH Bristol procedures and templates for running your study.

Western CLRN reports of portfolio studies open to new sites

If you are interested in looking for a new study to open at UH Bristol the following WCLRN reports

can help you:

http://www.crncc.nihr.ac.uk/about_us/ccrn/western/library

Please note Topic Network Managers have asked that Trusts contact them before approaching

CIs/Coordinators of studies identified in the Topic Network reports as there may be an existing

history of engagement with these studies by the networks.

If you have identified a study to participate in and need any help or advice on how to set up the

study please contact Research & Innovation on 0117 342 0233 or email Research@UHBristol.nhs.uk

Issue #1 of In Touch With Injuries and Emergencies is now available to download from the Western

CLRN Portal.

NIHR launches improved feasibility service package for Industry

Features of the new service include:

A single online Industry Application Gateway for all industry studies.

A clear set of services for life-sciences companies, which can be tailored to the level of support each company requires for a particular study.

A streamlined, faster process for applications.

A central Industry Information Centre to provide information and advice to help commercial life-sciences companies to use the Network service effectively.

http://www.crncc.nihr.ac.uk/news/news_archive/nihr-clinical-research-network-launches-

improved-service-for-industry

INVOLVE launches invoDIRECT: a new online resource for public involvement

invoDIRECT is a new online map on the INVOLVE website. The map displays information on groups

and organisations that support public involvement in NHS, public health and social care research.

Visit invoDIRECT to:

add details of your group or organisation so others can find out more about how you are supporting public involvement in research

search for local and national UK groups and organisations

find out about international groups and organisations supporting public involvement in research

http://www.invo.org.uk/find-out-more/invodirect/

HRA: Does your study really need ethics review?

The Health Research Authority (HRA) has, with the help of the Medical Research Council Regulatory

Support Centre, developed two new tools to help researchers decide whether their project would be

managed as research and whether it needs to be reviewed by an NHS Research Ethics

Committee (REC) for approval. Read full report here:

http://www.rdforum.nhs.uk/docs/HRADecisionTools.pdf

HRA announces plans for promoting transparency around publication of health research findings

The Health Research Authority (HRA) has today outlined plans for how it will play a leading role in

ensuring clinical and other health research findings are published.

Transparency in health research has long been a subject of debate; recently, the House of Commons

Science and Technology Committee has launched an enquiry into Clinical Trials and the high-profile

Alltrials campaign has attracted tens of thousands of signatures.

The HRA has an established role to promote transparency, and already publishes research study

summaries and the opinions of its Research Ethics Committees (RECs). On 25 April, the HRA led a

stakeholder workshop, at which it made, with the full support of its partners, a number of

commitments, which are now being sent out for further comment.

Full press release here

AMRC publish "Our vision for research in the NHS"

AMRC launched ‘Our vision for research in the NHS’ alongside the findings of a survey of healthcare

professionals' experiences of research in the NHS.

Developed over the past six months in collaboration with members and the wider medical and

research communities, AMRC's vision for research in the NHS provides a set of guiding principles and

practical solutions that the NHS and those working with it can use to achieve this.

The vision is of an NHS where:

Every patient is offered opportunities to be involved in research

All NHS staff see the importance of research

The NHS conducts high-quality research and adopts new treatments

Celebrating Successes

Cardiology team end ABSORB 2 trial recruitment on a high.

A new stent for coronary artery disease that is completely absorbed over time was tested in the

European ABSORB II trial. Patient recruitment closed on 4th June 2013 and the Cardiology Research

Team of Drs Andreas Baumbach, Tom Johnson, Julian Strange and RN Ruth Bowles exceeded their

own target by 50% and finished as the UK top recruiters.

The European wide trial evaluates a new stent technology for the treatment of patients with a

narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to the heart. The narrowing can cause angina and chest

pain and may lead to heart attacks. Symptoms are improved by opening up the narrowed area with

a stent. Currently stents are made from different alloys and remain in the body for life. The new

absorbable stents are made from a polymer and are absorbed into the body over a 2 year period.

Dr Baumbach says:

“This is an important new technology that needs careful assessment by clinical research. It is likely

that in the not so distant future, completely absorbable scaffolds will replace the metallic stents the

majority of cases.”

We are pleased about our contribution to this important trial. It shows that the Bristol Heart

Institute is a reliable partner for clinical research.

Our success is down to the enthusiasm and involvement of all the clinical and non-clinical teams.

There are many people who organise and care for the patients before, during and after their

procedures and numerous people who work behind the scenes across the Trust who play their part

in the trial. But of course the key players are the patients who volunteer to take part in these trials

and generously give us their time and commitment. Without them, medical progress would not be

possible.

As a result of excellent research management in this and previous trials, Dr Baumbach and his team

have been asked to lead the implementation of a UK national registry on absorbable stent

technology.

ARISTOTLE Trial Success

Congratulations to the Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre who are currently top recruiters in

the UK for the ARISTOTLE trial. This is a phase III trial comparing standard versus novel CRT as pre-

operative treatment for MRI defined locally advanced rectal cancer. Principal Investigator at this site

is Dr Falk. A fantastic achievement – well done!

Feature - Bronchiolitis of Infancy Discharge Study (BIDS)

Bronchiolitis of Infancy Discharge Study is a multi-centre, double blind, randomised controlled

equivalence study, led from Edinburgh. This Medicines for Children Research Network (MCRN)

portfolio study is now in its second season, with 3 English centres joining the original 5 Scottish sites.

Infants with a corrected age of 6 weeks to 12 months who require admission to hospital with

Bronchiolitis are eligible to participate. The study seeks to determine whether discharging infants

with oxygen saturations of 90% (rather than the current 92%-94% in the UK) has any significant

impact on the infants’ recovery period, the families’ experiences post discharge (financially and

socially) and healthcare utilisation post discharge.

The study is now closed to recruitment and surpassed the target of 600 babies with a total of 615

recruits over the two seasons. The Bristol team, led by Dr Huw Thomas, had a local target of 50

recruits between October 2012 and March 2013, and we are delighted to have recruited 59 babies

to the study. Bristol was the second highest recruiting centre this season, after the lead site in

Edinburgh.

Eligible babies were recruited in the Emergency Department (ED) by both research nurses and ED

doctors and were then transferred to inpatient wards throughout the Children’s Hospital, where

data regarding vital signs and feeding was collected until discharge. The high recruitment rate and

low withdrawal rate has been attributed to the employment of 4 (2.0 WTE) ward based research

nurses, covering the ED and inpatient wards.

The study is now in its follow up phase which is due to continue until the end of September. Parents

are asked to provide details of healthcare utilisation and impact on their daily life due to the effects

of bronchiolitis, and to complete an anxiety questionnaire.

BIDS has demonstrated how collaborative working between the MCRN and ward based research

nurses ensures effective education and implementation of study procedures, enabling studies to

recruit to target.

Upcoming Events

(Infectious) disease and point of care diagnostics

A Network meeting entitled “Disease and point of care diagnostics” will take place on Thursday 19

September 2013 from 09:30 – 13:30 at the University of Bristol. The venue is to be confirmed.

The aim of this half day meeting is to bring together clinicians, scientists and engineers to address

the questions of clinical need and available technology within Bristol.

For further information follow this link:

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/infection-immunity/seminars/2013/189.html

To register your interest and to receive further information: Ebih-admin@bristol.ac.uk and to

book a slot on the programme contact: jayne.bailey@bristol.ac.uk

Trauma Day

A Study Day entitled “The Psychological Impact of Traumatic Injuries” is commencing on 13

December 2013, Lecture Theatre 3, UH Bristol Education and Research Centre.

The study day has come about due to ‘The Impact of Injuries study’, which UH Bristol helped to

recruit patients to last year.

This course will introduce:

Common psychological reactions to trauma

How to recognise the symptoms

Who is at greatest risk

How to identify the need for specialist support

Long term implications

Please email Georgina.Elder@UHBristol.nhs.uk to book a place.

Health Services and Delivery Research (HS&DR) Programme

NIHR launches its own peer-reviewed collection of open access journals

The NIHR has launched the new NIHR Journals Library, providing full publication and open access to

an extensive body of health research. It comprises a suite of five programme-specific journal series,

including the Health Services & Delivery Research Journal.

Help us to help you find research funding!

We are keen to make sure you get the information you need to decide if your project is suitable for

NIHR funding, and how to apply. The NIHR research programmes award funding for the highest

quality research projects in both primary and secondary research. Studies of all sizes in health and

social care are funded, within and also outside the NHS.

Please complete our brief survey, and take a few minutes to tell us what we need to tell you.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NETS_funding_comms_1

Registration now open for the NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme (NIHR HTA)

Conference - 9-10 October 2013, London

The HTA Programme is celebrating its impact in clinical and public health research by holding a

milestone conference. The conference will focus on clinical effectiveness research and the impact of

HTA research nationally and internationally. To find out more and register visit the conference

website below.

http://www.profbriefings.co.uk/nihrhta2013/

HSRN Membership

The Health Services Research Network (HSRN) brings together those who produce and use evidence

to improve services. HSRN is a self-supporting membership network with members made up of

research units, NHS organisations, third sector bodies, professional groups, patient groups and

private sector associates. Membership has many benefits including themed workshops and

seminars, briefings and digests on key issues, and HSR Live, an online platform for researchers and

service leaders to share ideas and discuss findings – and much more. To find out more and join the

HSRN, see http://www.hsrlive.org/page/hsrn-member-benefits

Health Research Authority launches newsletter

The Health Research Authority (HRA), the organisation which protects and promotes the interests of

patients and the public in health research, has issued its first newsletter. The newsletter is now

available to access from the HRA website.

Identifying important research questions

We are keen to receive your individual suggestions for HS&DR research at any time - whether it's

about prison health services, organisation of output clinics or new nursing support roles.

If you feel there are important evidence gaps for managers and clinical leaders on how to organise

high value services, please email hsdrinfo@southampton.ac.uk your research topic suggestion.

Grants & Upcoming Awards

Health Services and Delivery Research (HS&DR) Programme

Funding opportunities

Researcher-led workstream: The next deadline is 13:00 on 03 October 2013.

Please check the HS&DR website for the most up to date information.

In addition to the standard researcher-led round, the HS&DR Programme is interested in receiving

applications relating to improving environmental sustainability in the NHS, and how this affects the

quality and organisation of services. Please see the highlight notice for more details.

Commissioned workstream: The next call will be advertised towards the end of June 2013.

Please check the HS&DR website for the most up to date information about our funding

opportunities. You can sign up for HS&DR Programme funding alerts by emailing us at:

hsdrinfo@southampton.ac.uk. Please give your name, job title and organisation in the body of the

message.

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Commissioned Call for Proposals

Applicants are being invited to submit proposals on the following commissioning briefs:

13/13 Clinical risk scores for suspected ovarian cancer

13/14 Psychological intervention for post-stroke depression

13/15 Medical therapy with steroids in treating Chronic Subdural Haematoma (CSDH)

13/16 Immunisation of Children and Young People Looked After by the State

13/17 Feasibility of psychological interventions for preventing blood borne virus infection in people

who inject drugs

13/18 Peer support for breastfeeding maintenance

13/19 A prognostic tool to aid clinical management decisions in acute ankle sprain

13/20 Prognostic models for people with advanced cancer

13/21 Suspected acute pulmonary embolism in pregnancy

13/22 Multiparametric MRI in planning epilepsy surgery

13/23 Mechanical insufflation-exsufflation devices for assisted cough in neuromuscular disease

13/24 Early pulmonary rehabilitation after an exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary

Disease (COPD)

13/25 Interventions to enhance engagement in exercise referral schemes

13/26 Early intervention for people with adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder

13/27 Non-neuroleptic mood stabilising medication for challenging behaviour in adults with

intellectual disability

13/28 Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor versus cognitive behavioural therapy for people with

generalised anxiety disorder

13/30 Orthotic management of instability of the knee in neuromuscular disease

13/31 Preoperative smoking cessation interventions

13/58 Organisation, quality and cost-effectiveness of psychiatric liaison services in acute settings

13/59 Assessing alternatives to face-to-face contact with patients

Closing dates, application forms and associated documents for all commissioned calls are available

on the HTA Programme Website.

Anticipated EME (Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation) Future Commissioned Calls

Please note that research in the following broad areas is likely to be commissioned during the next

year, although the titles and timings may be subject to change. The individual commissioning briefs,

which will be published when the calls open, will define the details of the calls. Please visit the

website for more up-to-date details.

- Substance misuse and abuse in younger people (to exclude nicotine) - Nuclear medicine for imaging in non-malignant disease - Sarcopaenia and its effects on the frail and elderly (to exclude falls) - Chronic pain - Disorders of the skin - Non-respiratory sleep disorders - Non-suicidal self-injury and suicidal behaviours

Health Innovation Challenge Fund

The Health Innovation Challenge (HIC) Fund is a joint funding partnership between the Wellcome

Trust and the Department of Health which facilitates high-quality translational health research to

produce technological developments that can deliver economic and patient health benefits within

three to five years. The programme invites applications in five key areas and each funding round will

make available £10m and all proposals will be reviewed and assessed across all themes. Visit the

website for further details on the deadline of the next funding round.

Invention for Innovation (i4i) Programme

This programme aims to support and advance the research and development of innovative

healthcare technologies and their translation into the clinical environment for the benefit of patients

through:

Guided progression of innovative medical product prototypes; and

Provision of business advice to the medical technology professionals it funds

i4i supports projects through prototype and commercial development to introduction and adoption

in the NHS. Find out more about the programme and the next call dates.

New funding opportunities with the NIHR Health Services and Delivery Research (HS&DR)

Programme

The HS&DR Programme aims to produce rigorous and relevant evidence on the quality, accessibility

and organisation of health services, and is now accepting applications to its researcher-led

workstream. The closing date for applications is 13:00 on 03 October 2013. The HS&DR

Programme accepts applications for both primary research and evidence syntheses, depending on

the existing research and the most appropriate way of responding to important knowledge gaps. The

aim is to fund research that will lead to improvements in health services that will be of greatest

benefit to the NHS and to patients.

In addition to the standard researcher-led round, the HS&DR Programme is interested in receiving

applications relating to:

Improving environmental sustainability in the NHS, and how this affects the quality and organisation of services.

For more information and to access the application form and guidance notes, please visit the HS&DR

website.

Contact information:

tel: 023 8059 4304 email: hsdrinfo@southampton.ac.uk web: www.netscc.ac.uk/hsdr

2014–15 Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice Call for Applications

The Commonwealth Fund invites applications from midcareer professionals (e.g. academic

researchers, government policymakers, clinicians, managers, and journalists) from Australia, Canada,

Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom to spend up to

12 months in the US conducting original research and working with leading US health policy experts.

For more details about the Fellowship program, application process and suggested project themes,

please visit the Fund’s Web site at www.commonwealthfund.org/fellowships. Deadline for U.K.

applications is September 16, 2013

Training & Employment Opportunities

The i4i Life Sciences Accelerator Programme

Need to compile a business plan for medtech or other health research funding? Commercialising

innovative health and medical research can be difficult, hence the i4i Accelerator has been

established to help. The programme has been developed by i4i, along with experienced medtech

industry experts, to equip researchers in industry, academia and the NHS with the skills and

knowledge required to put together robust business plans and strong funding applications that will

satisfy funding panels, investors and external experts. Dates available include May, October and

November 2013. Visit the website for more information.

Join the People and Research West of England Membership Scheme

It’s free to join and will ensure you receive up-to-date information about patient and public

involvement in research events across the West of England region as well as access to resources and

development opportunities.

Individual membership is open to patients, former patients, carers, members of the public,

researchers, research commissioners, research administrators, research managers, service users…

Organisational membership is open to NHS organisations, academic organisations, government

agencies, commercial organisations, charities, patient and carer support groups…

Your free membership will ensure you hear about:

Opportunities to become actively involved in our initiative to support public involvement in research

Learning and development opportunities

Information on forthcoming events and meetings

New resources on public involvement in research

For more information on how to join visit the website

Research focused programmes at the University of Brighton

The University of Brighton are running two research focused programmes that may be of interest:

They have secured National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) funding for Nurses, Midwives and

AHPs to complete an MRes (Clinical Research) course either full time or part time. A major part of

the course requires practitioners to carry out a research study in their workplace that fulfils the

Trust’s research objectives. Funding covers salary costs and course fees for a full time over one year

or part time route over two years. Further details can be found at

http://www.brighton.ac.uk/courses/study/clinical-research-mres-pgcert-pgdip and

http://www.brighton.ac.uk/hss/news/2013/130125-health-research-training.php

The Professional Doctorate programme provides doctoral level training in research for senior health

professionals in nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, podiatry, pharmacy, health

promotion, and counselling and psychotherapy as well as other healthcare professionals. This

research degree enables practitioners to carry out an in depth and original study that will have a

direct and positive impact on the workplace. Further details can be found at

http://www.brighton.ac.uk/sohp/research/study/profdoc.php?PageId=60

If you would like further information on either of these courses, please contact:

Dr Nikki Petty Principal Lecturer Course Leader MRes (Clinical Research) Programme Leader Professional Doctorate in Health and Social Care Tel: 01273-641806 Email: N.J.Petty@brighton.ac.uk

WCLRN GCP Training Courses over the summer

03 July 2013 - GCP Refresher training - Royal United Hospital, Bath 06 September 2013 - Introduction to GCP training - Southmead Hospital, Bristol 24 September 2013 - GCP Refresher training - Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton

For more information please contact Donna Burnham on 0117 342 1376 or visit

http://western.crncc.nihr.ac.uk