You don't have to worry about blinking and missing something in UK research if you are a patient. No. You could probably have a metaphorical afternoon nap. Or whole night's sleep. Perhaps even frozen cyrogenically for a few years. And still be waiting for some things to happen that are in yours and mine interest. … Continue reading Getting research results should be blinkin’ easy for patients. Survey launched by @HRA_Latest
Health Research Authority (HRA)
New guidance on what it is to be a public co-applicant in research launched by @NIHRINVOLVE @HRA_Latest and @NHSRDForum
According to the recent national survey of people's experiences of being involved in National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)*, one in five patients, carers and members of the public told us they had been a 'co-applicant' in research. An equivalent number described themselves as being a 'member of a research team.' As a member of … Continue reading New guidance on what it is to be a public co-applicant in research launched by @NIHRINVOLVE @HRA_Latest and @NHSRDForum
New @HRA_Latest @OfficialNIHR data on UK public attitudes to health research highlights need to work with under-represented groups to break down barriers #diversity
White, middle-class and well-connected - and that's just the patients: is this the health research culture we wish to see in the UK? Ever since it was established in 2011, the Health Research Authority (HRA) - the UK regulator of health research whose mission is 'to protect and promote the public interest' - has commissioned … Continue reading New @HRA_Latest @OfficialNIHR data on UK public attitudes to health research highlights need to work with under-represented groups to break down barriers #diversity
The post-Brexit liberalisation of #clinicaltrials could be the way to a bolder ambition for the UK
There is much post-Brexit talk of using our new-found political independence to liberalise clinical trials in the U.K. We can cut ourselves free of all that terrible EU red-tape that has weighed us down. Or so the argument goes. We can be quicker and more efficient than other countries. We will be more attractive to … Continue reading The post-Brexit liberalisation of #clinicaltrials could be the way to a bolder ambition for the UK
The devil’s in the manual – health research regulation and public involvement @HRA_Latest
When I was growing up I used to help my Dad do DIY around the house. Our perennial companion was a thick, hard-bound manual with step-by-step guides on how to do anything and everything. No job was too big or too small for it. From replacing a chimney stack to changing a plug. Dad passed … Continue reading The devil’s in the manual – health research regulation and public involvement @HRA_Latest
Who are the good, the bad and the ugly at involving the public in medical research? New comparative figures for Government, charities and industry
What should we make of the latest figures from INVOLVE and the Health Research Authority (HRA) showing which funders are best at public involvement in research? In a re-run of an joint-exercise first done in 2010, INVOLVE and the HRA looked at the public involvement component of over 1100 research applications that went before research ethics … Continue reading Who are the good, the bad and the ugly at involving the public in medical research? New comparative figures for Government, charities and industry
Less haste and more speed is better for research and better for patients
The Government has today announced an Innovative Medicines and MedTech Review, beginning in early 2015. The Minister for Life Sciences, George Freeman MP, has set out a bold vision for cutting drastically the time it takes to develop and give patients access to new medicines and innovation. This news release lays out the basic aims … Continue reading Less haste and more speed is better for research and better for patients
Health Research Authority looks for good practice in identifying research participants – survey.
Excuse my laziness but it is Saturday. Here's a copy of a press release put out by the a Health Research Authority (HRA) on Wednesday about a call (in essence, a survey) they are doing for good practice in identifying potential participants for research studies. The results of the work will be published by HRA … Continue reading Health Research Authority looks for good practice in identifying research participants – survey.
An invitation from the Health Research Authority (HRA): #patientsasregulatorypartners
Invitation to contribute to workshops about the Health Research Authority’s Public Involvement Strategy The Health Research Authority is running two workshops to give people interested in our strategy an opportunity to discuss it and how we put it into action. We would like these to include researchers and research funders as well as patients and … Continue reading An invitation from the Health Research Authority (HRA): #patientsasregulatorypartners
New HRA web guidance on consent and participant info sheets open for review
Yep, it is a double whammy from the Health Research Authority (HRA) via me. Earlier I blogged about the HRA's new public involvement strategy. Now I am passing on the following which is self explanatory I think...and I am sure they would welcome your input if you have time. One of the good things about the revised … Continue reading New HRA web guidance on consent and participant info sheets open for review
Do I detect a slight fumble of the ball in today’s Commons Select Committee report on clinical trials?
Not for the first time I was awake at 3am this morning. Cup of tea in hand, watching American football. It's amazing how those players keep the ball when so many other players are piling on top of them. Rarely do you see the thing break free. They must practice for hours.... The House of Commons … Continue reading Do I detect a slight fumble of the ball in today’s Commons Select Committee report on clinical trials?
Research transparency: HRA shows a cool head where others fear to tread
The public might just be on the verge of getting the sort of health research regulator they need and deserve. Yesterday the Health Research Authority (HRA) published its plans for promoting transparency around publication of health research findings. Of particular note from a public and patient perspective is its proposal to: 'set standards and issue … Continue reading Research transparency: HRA shows a cool head where others fear to tread
Political spotlight on Health Research Authority (HRA) intensifies
I am sure the new Health Research Authority (HRA) can take care of itself. But the expectations being heaped on it by others show no signs of abating. I wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow someone calls on it to cure cancer. If it had been created by a Blair Government it would surely have been … Continue reading Political spotlight on Health Research Authority (HRA) intensifies
A bit of a public involvement mash-up including that idea for an NHS Civil Society Assembly
So here's my unsubstantiated personal theory. It is that one of the root causes of the problems besetting today's NHS' is our failure to pay proper heed to the growing crisis in accountability and responsibility that has been a feature of our increasingly complex health system over the last seventy years. From almost the day … Continue reading A bit of a public involvement mash-up including that idea for an NHS Civil Society Assembly
‘Best left alone’ is not the motto we want for our health regulators
It being half-term you can never have enough travel games on hand. Current favourites for me are: a) guessing who will be the new Director of the Wellcome Trust and; b) thinking of a name for the body created if you merged all the current Research Councils into one. I did apply for the former … Continue reading ‘Best left alone’ is not the motto we want for our health regulators
Getting back into the (regulatory) swing…..
After two weeks away, this feels like the proverbial two minutes from time substitution that players do when coming back from injury. Just to be sure we remember which goal we are attacking, mind. I have a feeling that 2013 will very much be a year about how we regulate health research in the future. More … Continue reading Getting back into the (regulatory) swing…..
Health Research Authority gets to work on speeding-up research
So there I was yesterday afternoon, with my biology 'o'level a distant memory to put it mildly, speaking at the annual NIHR Senior Investigators Meeting thinking: 'how did I ever get into this?' The event brings together the very best of NIHR's researchers for an update on what's happening across health research. And this was mentioned … Continue reading Health Research Authority gets to work on speeding-up research
There is no point to the javelin
It has come to this. The world's top tennis players rush their shots to beat an 11pm curfew. Bruce and Sir Paul are turned-off mid-performance. And they don't use real javelins in schools. Looking across the the athletics field at my sons' school sports day, I spied a clutch of children competing in the javelin. Except this … Continue reading There is no point to the javelin
New science networks herald more fertile ground for health innovation
If contemplating NHS change rest assured, and this from one who once visited Mt Etna, that the lava does solidify, some old structures do survive, and it is possible for new ones to be built with solid foundations. Herewith some new and some not so new 'kids' on the block in the world of research. … Continue reading New science networks herald more fertile ground for health innovation
The life sciences, the public and the growth agenda…its not just about bums on seats
This is an extract from a talk I gave on Monday to the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of Newcastle. I tried to answer the following question: The life sciences are seen as fundamental to the nation’s health and to economic growth. But what is the public’s role in making this happen? The … Continue reading The life sciences, the public and the growth agenda…its not just about bums on seats
Simon Denegri's Lay Review 