Towards a New R&D Strategy

A blueprint for R&Din Health and Social Care

Noreen Caine Deputy Director of R&D, DHNHS R&D Forum Annual Conference

May 2005

Overview

Why we need a new R&D Strategy

Challenges and Objectives

Progress and Timescales

Issues for Discussion

Why we need a new Strategy

Clinical research is central to the health and wealth of the UK

There has been a decline in clinical research in recent years which we need to reverse

Patient Involvement and Public Awareness

Central to health

Clinical research generates evidence for health

Evidence needed to remove uncertainty about how best to promote health and to diagnose and manage ill health

Central to wealth

Improving population health generates wealth

Encouraging R&D in health industries

Providing access to cutting edge technology

Encouraging enterprise in the NHS

Challenges

The low applied evidence base in the NHS

Challenges

The low applied evidence base in the NHS

Changing population and disease trends

Challenges

The low applied evidence base in the NHS

Changing population and disease trends

Problems with career path in research for all health professions

Challenges

The low applied evidence base in the NHS

Changing population and disease trends

Problems with career path in research for all health professions

Problems with access to NHS infrastructure to support research

Challenges

The low applied evidence base in the NHS

Changing population and disease trends

Problems with career path in research for all health professions

We need better access to NHS infrastructure to support research

NHS R&D funding is allocated historically and does not reflect activity

Challenges

The low applied evidence base in the NHS

Changing population and disease trends

Problems with career path in research for all health professions

We need better access to NHS infrastructure to support research

NHS R&D funding is allocated historically and does not reflect activity

The increasing evidence that NHS management is now the bureaucratic block to clinical research

Strategic aim

To use the power of research to build better services in health and social care for our

patients and communities

Objective 1

Research to inform practice and policy

Fund good quality, relevant research to provide reliable evidence to inform key areas of health and social care policy and practice

Objective 2

Research in the NHS

Harness the capacity of the NHS to conduct research to improve national health and increase national wealth

Objective 3

The Academic research base

Strengthen the capacity of the Academic sector to support applied and practice-based health and social care research

1. Research to inform policy and practice

Priorities – needs of population & patients

prevention of ill-health independent healthy living for the elderly, children &

disabled access and choice in care delivery

increase in chronic disease, particularly in elderly increase in cancer, asthma, diabetes, CHD morbidity new diagnostics and other technologies

1. Research to inform policy and practice

Funding Research

Review NHS R&D programmes

Systematic reviews as well as, and to better inform, primary research

Response Mode Funding Scheme

1. Research to inform policy and practice

Culture eg. Admission of uncertainty. To safeguard against ineffective or harmful health care we need

Clinicians who are willing to continually question their

own practice

Supported by access to sources of funding for research that matters to them and to

information about what does and does not work

2. Research in the NHS

Harnessing Capacity

Establish a transparent, sustainable, incentives-based funding system which is linked to research activity

Improve access to NHS infrastructure

Improve access to clinical information eg.CfH

2. Research in the NHS

Minimise bureaucracy and maximise simplicity

templates for contracts and agreements share forms and processes (e.g. between

Research Ethics and Trust R&D Management) collect data once only use one dataset for local R&D management and

national R&D allocation and monitoring

2. Research in the NHS

Incentives-based

for engaging in high quality R&D R&D included in Trust “performance ratings”

for managing R&D effectively and efficiently for rapid “approval” of appropriate R&D for making processes simpler and easier for researchers for setting and achieving challenging recruitment targets

for collaboration with other NHS organisations and University partners with non-commercial and commercial research funders

3. The University research base

Capacity

sort-out career structures for clinical academic staff (medical and non-medical)

establish effective programmes for training key research disciplines e.g. health economics

RDSU review to provide a national network

Progress via the UKCRC

Research Funders collaboration

NHS infrastructure – Networks and CRFs

Modernising Medical Careers

Tackling bureaucracy - with the R&D Forum

Working on creating incentives – with the HC, the NHS and the R&D Forum, with the HC

UKCRN

Strategic Direction from UKCRC

Leadership from Network Co-ordinating Centres

Topic Specific and NTS Networks

NHS infrastructure

Shared processes & paperwork, SOPs for GCP, pharmacovigilance etc

Provision of regulatory expertise & advice

National Data capture system

Progress in Strategy Development

Consultation and buy-in within the DH

Consultation with Stakeholders including R&D Forum

Target time for announcement is the Summer

Detailed implementation plan in the Autumn

Implementation from 2006-7

Issues for Discussion?

What are your main concerns

What would you like to see change

What needs to be preserved

Response Mode Funding Scheme