March 2015

From the Clinical Research Network: South West Peninsula

Tell your research story by emailing CRN.SWP@nhs.net

CRN: SWP Twitter

Monthly e-news for the research community and

frontline research staff in the South West

Major pre-hospital

trial coming to

South West

Join Dementia

Research launches

nationwide!

Welcome to the fourth issue

of the South West Clinical

Research News. We’ve

received a huge amount of

material following our

previous newsletters and

are delighted to have the

opportunity to showcase

some of the fantastic work

taking place within the

region.

This month we have been

heavily involved in the

regional launch of the Join

Dementia Research (JDR)

service. This exciting project

aims to improve dementia

care by increasing the number

of people that can get

involved, as well as improving

the speed and efficiency of

the Clinical Research

Network.

The South West has a

significant prevalence of

dementia and as expected

this has been reflected in the

enthusiasm for embracing this

new service. Within the first

week of the launch the

number of local volunteers

tripled, placing the South

West in fourth place for JDR

volunteers out of the 15

national CRN regions.

The JDR service represents a

historic change in the way

research is accessed and it

could not happen at a better

time as the public profile and

awareness of research is

growing. You will find more

details about this initiative in

this issue, including an

interview with our first

volunteers matched to a study

following sign up to the JDR

register.

If you can’t wait until next

month’s issue, you can keep

up with our progress and local

news on our fast-growing

Twitter page or through our

website.

If you have good news you

would like to share, or an

event you would like promoted

please do not hesitate to

contact us by emailing

CRN.SWP@nhs.net.

Thank you

Helen Quinn

Chief Operating Officer for

CRN: SWP

Welcome!

A major pre-hospital

trial is coming to the

region

Join Dementia

Research launches -

meet our first

volunteers!

Research award for

ambulance trust

Inside this issue

www.nihr.crn.ac.uk/swpeninsula

Major pre-hospital trial coming to the South West Preparations are underway

for patient enrolment for a

major pre-hospital trial

AIRWAYS-2 to determine the

best approach for the initial

management of a patient’s

airway during Out of

Hospital Cardiac Arrest.

Every acute hospital served by

the South Western Ambulance

Trust and likely to receive an

OHCA patient will be

established as a potential study

site for this research.

SWASFT Research Facilitator

Maria Robinson explains the

aim during the set up phase is

to ensure close collaboration

between the ambulance

services, hospital emergency

departments and intensive care

units and crucially, the

Clinical

Research Networks.

She emphasised: “Using the

full support of all that the CRNs

have to offer will enable the

study to be delivered across

large regions in a co-ordinated

way.

“Network support will enable

the study to be running

effectively in time for patient

enrolment to start this summer.

Research Delivery Managers

will provide local links and

contacts, facilitating access to

service support and help with

co-ordination at a regional

level. Support will be needed to

source and recruit regional

Research Nurses; clinical

speciality leads will provide

vital local intelligence, links and

contacts for hospitals;

and the

use

of a single Site Specific

Information (SSI) form should

minimise duplication, whilst

ensuring appropriate

governance and allowing ease

of study set-up across multiple

sites.

There is strong potential for

patient benefit in terms of

improved survival rates and

quality of life following OHCA,

and benefits for the NHS in

terms of reduced health and

social care resource use. The

findings of the study are likely

to determine the initial

approach to pre-hospital airway

management that is

recommended in future

national and international

resuscitation guidelines. The

new ways of working across

networks, ambulance services

and hospitals that are

established in order to deliver

this study will help pave the

way for future collaborative

research.”

Read the full story here.

For more information:

www.airways-2.bristol.ac.uk or

contact Maria Robinson on

01392 261655 or email

maria.robinson@swast.nhs.uk

The AIRWAYS-2 study is a large NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA) funded trial.

Kerry Atkinson, Research Administrator

at Royal Cornwall Hospital has been

raising money for epilepsy research

since her five year old son, Wilson, was

diagnosed with the condition last year.

Kerry has already raised nearly £900

after completing a tandem skydive and

isn’t stopping there, with plans to

complete the ‘World’s End, Tuff Enuff’

endurance challenge in May amongst

other events.

Keep up with her progress here.

First local success for Join Dementia Research

The first Devon volunteers to be matched with a dementia

research study by the new Join Dementia Research service

share their experience as a patient and a carer.

David and Jan Barwick registered

their interest in participating in

research with Join Dementia

Research through The

Alzheimer's Society website.

They have already contributed to

a national research initiative

called The IDEAL Study aims to

recruit up to 1,500 people who have experienced changes in their

memory, other thought abilities, and how they manage their daily

activities. It is the first large scale research study of its kind and

the findings will be used to influence policy and practice to ensure

better wellbeing for older people experiencing these changes in

the future.

Mr and Mrs Barwick were invited to take part in this study by

Clinical Studies Officer Jonathan Richards at Devon Partnership

Trust's research and development service. David, who is in his

seventies, has dementia which currently affects his memory and

ability to carry out a sequence of activity or thought. His wife Jan,

who had a science and journalistic background in her working life

before she retired, said she recognises the importance of

research to better understand the disease and improve the quality

of life of those diagnosed with the condition and living with people

who have dementia.

Read about their experience here

Taking part in research

gives peace of mind

Chrissie Mortimer of Devon is

an active research

participant, having taken part

in three research studies

since September 2009, when

she was diagnosed with

Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia.

She shares the benefits of

her experience here.

www.nihr.crn.ac.uk/swpeninsula

Research Forum award for

Ambulance Trust!

Congratulations to South

Western Ambulance Service

NHS Foundation Trust for

scooping the prize for most

innovative use of routine data

at this year’s 999 EMS

Research Forum Conference.

Hannah Trebilcock, Trauma

Clinical Audit Assistant,

received the award for her

work examining whether there

were clinical or behavioral

indicators recorded on the

patient clinical record which

could be used to enhance the

pre-hospital identification of

traumatic brain injuries. Read

more here.

Flying high for Epilepsy Research UK

Text

Proud of your team? Promote your

achievements here! Email

CRN.SWP@nhs.net

Local news

Social media campaign 2015 Email CRN.SWP@nhs.net to get involved!

Cornwall kicks

off recruitment

into exciting

new heart

failure study

Rehabilitation Enablement in

Chronic Heart Failure (REACH-

HF) is a National Institute for

Health Research (NIHR) funded

five year programme of research

that began in 2013. The main

randomised trial has now begun

following a successful feasibility

study, with Royal Cornwall

Hospital NHS Trust

recruiting the first

patient nationally to

the study on 19

January.

The research aims to

develop and evaluate a

new home-based, self-

care intervention for

patients with heart

failure and their families or

caregivers to improve

health-related quality of life.

Find out more here.

South West Parkinson’s research

event success

The clinical research community

needs and values the

involvement of people living with

Parkinson’s in all aspects of the

work being done to better

understand this condition and

improve patient care and quality

of life for them and their families.

This was the clear message the CRN: South West Peninsula

hoped the 90 patient and public delegates took away

with them from the Parkinson’s Research Event held

In Plymouth on 6 March.

CRN South West Research Delivery Manager Mike

Visick said: “The event content and format was

shaped by those who were best qualified to know

what people living with Parkinson’s (as a patient and

carer) would be interested in. We were grateful to

Parkinson’s UK Volunteer Richard Hill and patient/carer

representatives Debbie Boobier and husband and wife team

John and Sue Whipps.

“We aimed to inform and

reassure those who attended

that there is a real commitment

to Parkinson’s research and

show the different opportunities

there are for those living with the

condition to be involved –

whether it is influencing and shaping the design of research

from the outset or active participation in studies underway.”

You can learn more about the event here.

DRIVE Project

The ‘DRIVE’ project is a regional

initiative between CRN: SWP

and the SW Academic Health

Science Network to find and

reduce variations to the way

research is delivered across the

South West.

Read the latest update here.

www.nihr.crn.ac.uk/swpeninsula

National round up

HRA Approval coming!

Health Research Authority

(HRA) Approval is due to be

rolled out over 2015 by study type

by early summer.

HRA Approval will provide

a single approval for

research in the NHS.

The approval will

incorporate an

HRA assessment

alongside an

independent

Research Ethics

Committee opinion.

Local site decisions to support the

studies will be based on capacity

and capability alone.

The new system will simplify the

approvals process for research,

making it easier for studies to be

set up.

You can read more about this

here. You can also access the

latest updates through the HRA

website: www.hra.nhs.uk

Request to feedback on CRN

communications

Dr Jonathan Sheffield, CEO of

the NIHR has put a call out

requesting help to

evaluate the existing

Clinical Research

Network

communications.

The survey is

open to all NIHR

staff and any

staff who receives

research funding

(i.e. a research nurse

receiving funding for one

session a week to support

Portfolio studies).

The survey can be found here

and will remain open until noon

on Monday 23 March. The views

of staff are invaluable and

greatly appreciated.

Do you access the

PenCLRN Portal?

The PenCLRN Portal will

no longer be available as

of 31 March 2015. If you

still access documents

through the Portal please

ensure you download a

copy.

If you feel any of these

areas/items should be

replicated on the new staff

intranet (Dashboard)

please contact Rosemary

Sowden.

Vote for science writing winner for Plain English

A public online vote will decide the winner of a national

competition which tests the skills of writing Plain English

summaries of current research stories.

The Access to Understanding science-writing competition

challenges entrants to write jargon-free summaries of

current research studies for a public audience.

The “People’s Choice” award recognises that the public

- as the intended target readers of these summaries -

is best placed to decide and reward the best entries

written by early career researchers.

Entrants could write about one of 12 articles covering

fascinating cutting-edge science including a potential

treatment for tinnitus, the effects of disrupted sleep on the

human body and the effects of social interactions on flu

transmission.

The best 12 summaries have been shortlisted and now the

public can vote online at:

http://www.access2understanding.org/competition/peoples-

choice

The voting deadline is 12 noon on 27 March 2015 and the

award winner will be announced later that day at a special

evening ceremony hosted by the competition organisers The

British Library, eLife and Europe PMC in London.

HRA Approval coming!

Health Research Authority

(HRA) Approval is due to be

rolled out over 2015 by study type

by early summer.

HRA Approval will provide a single approval for

research in the NHS. The approval will incorporate an HRA

assessment alongside an independent Research Ethics Committee

opinion. Local site decisions to support the studies will be based on

capacity and capability alone.

The new system will simplify the approvals process for research,

making it easier for studies to be set up.

You can read more about this here. You can also access the latest

updates through the HRA website: www.hra.nhs.uk

www.nihr.crn.ac.uk/swpeninsula

In the news

the brain’s neural

networks.

The Alzheimer’s

Society is keen to

build up the

dementia research

community which is

only one sixth of the

size of that for

cancer research.

You can find out

more on this centre

here.

Cornwall Research Forum Thursday 9 April

10:15-15:15

Knowledge Spa, RCHT

Attend for a chance to network and

learn about local research. Keynote

speakers include Dr Jonathan

Sheffield and Prof Steve Thornton.

Contact Michelle Hill

Plymouth

Hospital’s

revolutionary

cancer treatment

Professor Simon Rule

of Plymouth Hospitals

NHS Trust has been

the first clinician in

Europe to prescribe a

new alternative to

chemotherapy in

certain types of blood

cancer.

The drug, Imbruvica,

has now been

approved for use in

the NHS as part of the

Cancer Drugs Fund

and initial findings are

described as

remarkable, with the

first thirteen patients

using the drug to

respond favourably

with no side effects.

Read more here.

Exercise. The

project is led by the

Bristol Heart Institute at

the University of Bristol,

together with Toshiba

Medical Systems and the

University of Exeter.

The first partnership of

its kind will investigate

the fitness levels of 300

children when exercising

and the heart is working

harder.

Read more on this story

here.

New dementia training The Alzheimer’s Society

has launched

a new dementia-focused

Doctoral Training Centre

at the University of

Exeter.

The new centre will

support eight PhD

students to investigate

the effect of dementia on

Next issue due out in

April 2015!

Send your stories and

events to CRN.SWP@nhs.net

Exeter specialists

work with Man

United to

revolutionise heart

health

Exeter staff are

supporting a unique

research project aiming

to identify the effects of

exercise on young

hearts. Manchester

United’s Academy

players will have their

hearts monitored using

the latest imaging

technology to give

valuable insight into

how young people’s

hearts work during

Making sense of evidence

workshop Tuesday 12 May

09:15-16:30

Truro

Attend this introductory workshop

on the practical use of evidence in

practice for local healthcare

professionals.

Book a place here or find out more

here.