Research and Development

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Support for researchers

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Research and Development department supports and facilitates health research in Cornwall. Research is a hugely important part of what we do at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals. It gives us new knowledge about how to treat and care for patients with different health conditions and helps us to provide our patients with the best and most appropriate care possible.

We are dedicated to developing ground-breaking treatments, technologies, and techniques as well as meeting your needs and identifying the best use of resources.

Find out about health and social care research that is taking place in your area and across the UK.

Links to reports on our performance in delivering research

Note: The collection of the data was suspended in Dec 2022

More information about the department

Contact details

General Enquiries

Telephone

Email

Patient and Public Information

Research ideas

Social media

Strategic Leadership Team

rcht.researchmanagement@nhs.net

Research Governance Manager & Archivist

Caroline Phillips: caroline.phillips38@nhs.net

Research Communications & Engagement Specialist

Amanda Datson: a.datson@nhs.net

Industry Operations Manager

Gina Townley: gina.townley@nhs.net

Audit & Monitoring Officer

Brendon James: brendon.james1@nhs.net

Research Sponsorship Facilitator

Vahid Harandi: vahid.harandi@nhs.net

How we approve research and make sure it is safe

  • The NHS Research Governance Framework sets out the standards by which research is conducted. This includes the monitoring of protocols and procedures to make sure that these are followed.
  • Any research we carry out must meet recognised ethical standards and respect the dignity, rights, safety and well-being of the people who take part.
  • These standards must be assessed and approved by an independent Research Ethics Committee (REC)

Links to further information on clinical research

Patient Information and health and care research

Patient information and health and care research.

Get involved in NHS Research in Cornwall

There are many ways people get involved with NHS research in Cornwall;

  1. A healthcare professional may approach you about taking part in a relevant study.
  2. We may advertise for people with or without a specific condition, usually on posters in GP surgeries and hospitals.
  3. Search by condition on a national database for clinical trial
  4. You can also register and choose how you wish to get involved. You could receive our newsletter, hear about local events, share your views on patient documents or work with our research teams on what is best for patients.
    • Any information we collect about you will be confidential.
    • All information will be held securely on Royal Cornwall Hospital computer servers and only be accessible by NHS Patient & Public Engagement Representative staff.
    • It won’t be shared with external organisations.
  5. Become a Research Champion for the Royal Cornwall Hospital

What are Research Champions?

Research Champions volunteer their time to help spread the word about health and care research to patients and the public. They can also help research and healthcare staff understand more about the experiences of those who take part in research.
Research Champions can be anyone; patients, carers, members of the public, people who have taken part in a research study before, as well as those who haven’t. Something that they all have in common is that they are passionate about getting more people involved in research so that we can develop better care and treatment for everyone.

What can Research Champions do?

What you contribute as a Research Champion will be shaped around your interests, skills and time. Some commit to regular activities while others may volunteer as opportunities arise. At the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust we hold monthly meetings that the Research Champions can attend at their convenience.
Research Champions may volunteer to get involved in some of the activities listed below:

  • Spread the word to patients and the public about health and care research
  • Raise awareness amongst friends and family about research and being a champion for taking part in health and care research amongst people they know
  • Help to make patients, public groups find out about local events and initiatives, where they can access information about research and studies they may be able to take part in
  • Encourage health care professionals to undertake research
  • Take part in local actions to mark International Clinical Trials Day and health awareness days
  • Speak to interest or patient groups about health and care research
  • Give feedback on research promotion, initiatives and communications and help shape local research studies

How can I get involved?

If you are interested in becoming a Research Champion or finding out more, then please get in touch with our Research Communications & Engagement Specialist, Amanda Datson.

Deciding whether to take part in clinical research

  • We will review the research set of eligibility criteria that participants must meet, we will give you information about the research and time to consider whether you want to take part.
  • You’ll receive an information sheet about the research which will contain the contact details of the research study team so that you can speak to them about any part of the study.
  • So that you can decide whether to take part, we will make sure you are fully aware of all study procedures and any changes to your standard care or treatment. We will also explain any risks or known potential side effects.
  • You do not have to take part and you are free to withdraw at any stage, even after the study has started. Your standard treatment will not be affected if you decide not to take part at any stage.
  • For further information and frequently asked questions please visit the NHS website.

Feedback

We are committed to improving the experience for research participants and often conduct participant experience surveys to gain feedback and help us to improve our services.

Patient Support Groups

If you are involved in a patient support group and would like us to come along and give a presentation about research or be available to give information to attendees please contact Amanda Datson via email on a.datson@nhs.net.

For further information and frequently asked questions please visit

Feedback about your research experiences

We actively encourage our research participants to give their feedback on their experiences of study participation. This helps us to recognise our staff and improve our service.

To enable us to do this, we hold an annual, snapshot experience survey as well as welcoming feedback through Care Opinion. https://www.careopinion.org.uk/ Care Opinion allows people to anonymously share their experiences, good and bad, of healthcare services across the country. Stories are then passed to department representatives who will review and respond via the website.

Research news

If you would like to read about some of the positive, life changing impacts research and development has achieved in our recent past, you may do so by viewing our research and development news page.

Links to some of our previous studies

Please see below sample of published research results from some of the studies that the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust have been involved in. We are aiming to increase the number available on this webpage in the future.

Please note there is often a significant time lag between the end of patient participation in a study and the availability of the results.

Cardiology

COVID

Critical Care

Emergency Medicine

Gastroenterology

Haematology

Neurology: Parkinson’s Disease

Oncology

Orthopaedics

Pathology

Pharmacy

Rheumatology

Women’s Health & Obstetrics

NHS Staff Research

  • Hair today, gone tomorrow: How personal protective equipment guidance changed doctor’s facial hair during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Radiography

The Cornwall research charity fund

Much of the Research and Development programme in Cornwall would not be possible without the generosity of our supporters.

Your charitable donations help us provide:

  • Patient amenities
  • State-of-the-art equipment
  • Innovative research opportunities
  • Funding towards additional staff so that we can offer more research opportunities

Recent fundraising has helped us transform one of our research clinic rooms into a child-friendly environment where children can play, read books, play computer games or watch films. These facilities act as a distraction for our younger visitors during their clinic visits as well as provide play facilities for them when accompanying others to their appointments.

Support the Cornwall research charity fund

You can get involved by:

  • Supporting our fundraising at events
  • Leaving a legacy gift
  • Nominating us as charity of the year
  • Fundraising for us
  • Making a donation

Charity Events

The Research and Development department are hosting their 2nd annual ‘Research Charity Ball’ at 7pm on 26th April 2024 at The Falmouth Hotel.

All proceeds will go to the Research Charity Fund (a fund of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Charity). For more information and to book tickets, please visit https://bit.ly/3FJHWVl

How to make a donation

Research Charity Fund Applications

If you are a contracted member of staff at the Royal Cornwall Hospital and are looking for funding to support or facilitate research please visit Research Charity Fund Applications

There are a number of ways you can donate to the research or cancer research funds through the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Charity, please visit their website to find out more.

If you would like your donation to go to either of these (research, or cancer) funds, please ensure you specify this at the time of payment and leave contact information so that we can confirm receipt. Alternatively, you can use the below to get in touch with details of your donation:

Working With Us

Current vacancies for the Royal Cornwall Hospitals, Research & Development Department can be found at NHS jobs.

Links to useful information:

Find out what a career in NHS Research at the Royal Cornwall Hospital could offer you in the video below:

Page last reviewed: 14 November 2023

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