UHBW to host new NIHR Regional Research Delivery Network

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) has been chosen as a host of a new National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Regional Research Delivery Network (RRDN).

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced that a new NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) will commence in 2024 to support the successful delivery of health and social care research in England.

As part of this, 12 new RRDNs will be hosted by NHS Organisations the length and breadth of the country, covering all English regions. After an open competition, UHBW was successful in its bid to become the RRDN for the South West central area. The RRDNs are being launched on 1 October 2024.

Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Executive of the NIHR, said:

“I’d like to congratulate UHBW and all the successful hosts for the future NIHR RDN. I am looking forward to working with all the organisations across the new RDN to support the delivery of the best health and care research for the public.”

“The opportunity to be part of research is crucial for all communities, particularly those with major health and care needs. The new NIHR RDN will build capacity to extend research delivery in primary, community and social care settings to make it easier for patients to get access to cutting-edge treatments and new models of care, through research.

“The plans and ambitions we have for the NIHR RDN have evolved from the excellent work of the Clinical Research Network over the last 9 years. Its many dedicated staff have worked incredibly hard to support researchers and sponsors in England to deliver some of the best health and care research during this time. Without their passion and determination, so much of the world-leading research produced in this country during the COVID-19 pandemic would not have been possible.”

Professor Stuart Walker, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust Chief Medical Officer, and Nominated Executive Director of the Clinical Research Network, said:

“I am delighted that UHBW has been selected as the host for the NIHR RRDN South West Central. It is an endorsement of our ongoing commitment to improving NHS care through research that benefits patients.

“My colleagues and I look forward to working closely with the RRDN leadership team and our existing and new partner organisations to deliver relevant and inclusive research across the region, and to strengthening our collaborations with our academic and industry partners.”

The RRDNs will form part of the NIHR RDN, which will operate as a single organisation across England. The joint leadership function will balance regional context, expertise and leadership, with national coordination and strategy, involving DHSC policymakers.

The new NIHR RDN will support the country’s world-class research system to deliver high quality research that enables the best care for patients and the public. It will work across the health and care system, with staff in all health and care settings, to support the effective and efficient initiation and delivery of research. This will benefit people receiving care now and in the future. It will support the NHS and care services and generate benefits for the economy of the UK.

The new RDN, working with the wider system, will enhance equality of opportunity for people to get involved in research, no matter who they are or which part of the country they reside. It will enable research activity to follow patient and service user needs, ensuring research is conducted in communities living with the greatest disease burden, in collaboration with patients, carers and the public, investigators and study sites.