APCRC publishes 2015-2016 annual report

The Avon Primary Care Research Collaborative (APCRC) has published its 2015-16 annual report.

APCRC has been responsible for supporting primary care research across the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire area since 2003. Over the last five years it has expanded its role to promote the use of evidence and evaluation in healthcare commissioning, and an increasing emphasis on knowledge mobilisation. The report highlights APCRC’s achievements over the last year against their strategic aims, and describes their work with researchers and with commissioners. Highlights include:

• Hosting two new prestigious National Institute for Health Research programme grants worth a total of £4.7 million. These research projects align with national as well as local NHS priority areas, including domestic violence and depression
• Receiving a Research Capability Fund (RCF) award of £1.1 million, which was the largest award made to any primary care organisation in England
• Supporting commissioners by launching two online toolkits that will assist staff with their evidence and evaluation needs
• Continuing support for local CCGs in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, to ensure that commissioning decisions are based on the best available evidence and that evaluation is embedded into commissioners’ planning cycles

APCRC’s Dr Peter Brindle, R&D Programme Director, and Dr Joanne Hartland, R&D Programme Manager, say in their introduction to the report:

“Our over-riding goal is to support the alignment of the research activity of our universities with the priorities and challenges of the NHS, leading to more impactful research and better services and clinical care.

“Our progress towards this is reflected in the fact that we continue to be the most research active clinical commissioning group (CCG) collaborative in England as evidenced by receiving the highest annual Research Capability Funding (RCF) award in England for the past two years. This has been achieved through our strong relationships with our universities. As well as continuing to build on the success of initiatives with our local partners in the universities, we work with our CCGs and Councils Public Health teams to drive more evidence informed commissioning and commissioning informed research.”

Download the report (PDF).