The Research & Development (R&D) department is based at The Clinical Research Facility (CRF) at Sandwell Health Campus (formerly Sandwell Hospital) where many of our patient appointments take place.
Carrying out research is the way that we improve treatments and care and make our services better.
Our Trust takes part in a range of local, national and international clinical trials and other studies and is a part of Birmingham Health Partners (BHP), an alliance which brings NHS Trusts and healthcare initiatives together.
Therefore during your care with us, your doctor or a member of the team looking after you may talk to you about research and ask if you would like to join a study.
You will be given written information about the study and you will be encouraged to ask questions and go home and discuss this with your family. You will then be invited back to talk about the study again and if you would like to take part you will be enrolled in the study.
Sometimes, if it is urgent that you start treatment you may not have time to go home and talk to family, but you will always be able to ask as many questions as you would like.
You don’t have to wait to be asked to take part in research, we would encourage you to ask your doctor or member of their team, if there is research that you can take part in.
The Trust has a total of 68 open studies with more than 11,000 participants, covering a wide range of specialties and providing clinical trials treatments and therapies.
Some of the specialties we cover include:
- Cancer
- Critical Care
- Cardiovascular
- Eye
- Infectious Diseases
- Musculoskeletal
- Dermatology
Visit the National Institute For Health And Social Care Research (NIHR) website via the following link to find out more information about trials: bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk(opens in a new tab)
Clinical trials approved by the Trust are assessed on performance. The Trust is required to report key stages of these studies to the National Institute For Health And Social Care Research (NIHR).
The NIHR analyses data submitted each quarter to the Performance in Initiating and Delivering Clinical Research (PID) exercise to understand how quickly providers of NHS services are recruiting patients to clinical trials and how they are performing against their contractual requirements. (NIHR .ac.uk 2023)
To find out more about our performance for initiating and delivering research, please visit the NIHR Clinical Trial Performance (CTP) website(opens in a new tab) which contains full details of our performance for each quarter.
The Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre (BMEC) Clinical Research Facility is a dedicated unit that supports clinical research studies on a wide range of eye conditions. It provide a comprehensive research environment, including a highly skilled clinical research workforce, to undertake various research projects including trials on new treatments sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry
We actively encourage patients, visitors and staff to participate in appropriate high quality trials as this helps to improve the eye care we deliver to everyone. Participation in a trial does not happen without your informed consent and you will be provided with information on the trial before you decide as to whether you wish to join or not.
Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust encourages all staff in the Trust to be research active. We have a broad portfolio to ensure patients in our care have access to new treatments and interventions.
The Clinical Research Facility (CRF) has a laboratory with processing and storage facilities. Researchers and clinical teams are encouraged to use the CRF for patient appointments.
Our supportive Research Management and Governance Team are available to provide advice and advise on study set up.
We support experienced and new chief and principal investigators, as well as student and novice researchers.
Our team is made up of research nurses, data coordinators, clinical trial facilitators, clinical research practitioners, doctors, research fellows, research governance officers, support services including pharmacy, pathology, imaging and many more.
We have wide variety of specialties and support services conducting research at the Trust.
They include:
- Pharmacy
- Pathology
- Imaging
Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust participates in research, including projects where you have to give your consent, that is, we will let you know about the study and ask if you want to take part. It is your choice whether you do.
We also undertake research within the Trust and contribute to national research projects that use your records where the law allows us to not specifically ask your permission first. We will always look after your data and comply with UK laws and regulations.
You can read our full privacy statement here(opens in a new tab).