12 Praise of Christmas
On the twelfth day of Christmas...
On the twelfth day of Christmas the Core Team gave to me...
"The NIHR CRN NENC Core Team have given their everything to the fight against COVID 19 - they have been flexible, open and willing to work as long and as hard as it takes. They have volunteered to support other services, both within research and outside of it, and best of all been a fabulous support to one another.
"Thank you all so much for being such a wonderful team! I want to thank each and every one of the core team for their support, adaptability and dedication this year. This thanks goes beyond LCRN staff though. It goes to the family units that have supported you and, by extension, us in our work. So thank you sons and daughters, husbands and wives, partners and parents. You have all been a part of keeping us going with your support both behind the scenes and with the odd cameo appearances in video conferences. The core team has been stronger, bigger and better as a result. Here is our brief round up of the core team year."
- Morag Burton, Chief Operating Officer.
On the eleventh day of Christmas
On the eleventh day of Christmas all the Specialty Group Leads and R&D Directors gave to me...
"Thank you to all the Specialty Group Leads and R&D Directors across our region, for your leadership in challenging times. Thank you for coming together and sharing your expertise and experience with us and each other. Thank you for mentoring and supporting your colleagues and teams. Thank you for being honest and open about the challenges. Thank you for adapting quickly to facilitate urgent public health studies and thank you for finding new innovative solutions to restart non-COVID research.
"May this Christmas time hold Comfort and Joy for you all!"
- Caroline Wroe, Clinical Director
On the tenth day of Christmas
On the tenth day of Christmas Durham Tees Valley Research Alliance gave to me...
"Two trials in particular have demonstrated the strength of the Durham Tees Valley Research Alliance in this past year: The Novavax vaccine trial saw the teams across the alliance set up a complete new venue at the University Hospital of Hartlepool in just a matter of weeks from which to run the study. Staff from a multitude of differing roles came together to address the various challenges this quick turnaround presented. As a result the team recruited very successfully, exceeding their initial target: a fantastic example of partnership working. All three NHS organisations also took part in the Recovery trial, with North Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust being one of the top recruiters in the country.
"Thank you for RECOVERY: The local Principal Investigators on this study - Dr Ben Prudon at North Tees, Dr David Chadwick at South Tees and James Limb at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust and all the research staff across the Durham Tees Valley Research Alliance who supported the set up and delivery of this study.
"Thank you for Novavax: Jane Greenaway and Kerry Colling for project managing the study from start to finish."
- Sharon Dorgan, Senior Strategic Manager and DTVRA SPoC
On the ninth day of Christmas...
On the ninth day of Christmas the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust gave to me...
"Everyone in and around research in the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has come together to support each other and deliver some outstanding results. New challenges have been met with dedication and enthusiasm and the solutions have been creative and successful. No matter how drained people are, they have kept providing incredible service and care with good grace and humour.
"At the start of the pandemic, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals created a specific COVID team to manage the response. The team has done so to great success. Success was not due to the creation of the team, but the way in which it was led and the way in which the wider research community pulled together to support it and each other. The Joint Research Office staff have provided excellent support for COVID research while ensuring that existing paused studies restarted in a safe and timely way. NIHR CRN NENC staff have been redeployed and supported many aspects of the COVID challenges. Newcastle delivery staff have run new and challenging studies including vaccine studies and through the Participant Research Experience Survey, we know, given a positive participant experience.
"A roll call of names is not possible but one person should be named. Throughout, they have been ever present. Tireless in their energy and enthusiasm, peerless in their experience and knowledge and bottomless in their support and attentiveness. Thank you Ashley Price."
- Chris Speed, Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Newcastle Hospitals SPoC
On the eighth day of Christmas...
On the eighth day of Christmas Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust gave to me...
"The team at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust really pulled together as a flexible and adaptable collective to support regional efforts in relation to both COVID and non-COVID research. This would not have been possible without the leadership provided by Simon, Lyndsey and the efforts of the wider research teams. Thank you for all your support.
"More than 2,000 participants were recruited to non-UPH studies, exceeding overall recruitment at this point in the previous year. The R&D department and delivery team are adaptable with focus a on supporting Chief Investigator led studies. A special thanks must go to Barbara Wilson and the team at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear for supporting the regional efforts to deliver the FALCON moonshot Urgent Public Health study at very short notice. Special thanks to all those within the wider research delivery team who have been so flexible supporting regional Urgent Public Health studies in neighbouring partner organisations."
- Steven Pratt, Research Delivery Manager and CNTW SPoC
On the seventh day of Christmas...
On the seventh day of Christmas Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust gave to me...
"Northumbria Healthcare embedded a team of research staff in A&E to recruit patients into emergency care studies, which meant that they recruited over 440 patients into the PRIEST study, helping to find the most accurate triage method for predicting severe illness for patients attending A&E with a suspected respiratory illness during the pandemic.
"The research team have also worked alongside Trust management to refurbish an old clinical area not in current use, to make a new trials area for upcoming vaccine studies, that will support the trust with additional space for research.
"Thank you to all of the research team for their work, and all other staff."
- Justine Smith, Senior Strategic Manager and Northumbria Healthcare SPoC
On the sixth day of Christmas...
On the sixth day of Christmas South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust gave to me...
"The R&D department, research teams, clinicians and support services in South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust have been fantastic at coming together, quickly setting up 11 Urgent Public Health Studies. Over 1,000 participants from South Tyneside and Sunderland have now taken part in these studies. All this has been achieved whilst supporting a broad range of non Urgent Public Health studies too.
"The REALIST study met it's original target, increased the target and quickly met that too with all recruitment complete between September and December, this makes South Tyneside and Sunderland the highest recruiter in England.
"The RECOVERY study was the first time there has been a single Principal Investigator for a study recruiting at both South Tyneside and Sunderland. Delivering the study involves cross site working and liaison with clinical teams and pharmacy.
"I wish I could thank everyone individually but the list is too long. So I'll say one big thank you and hope the message reaches all those who are contributing to making research happen."
- Penny Williams, Research Delivery Manager and South Tyneside and Sunderland SPoC
On the fifth day of Christmas...
On the fifth day of Christmas Tees, Esk and wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust gave to me...
"An amazing team effort from all involved in supporting research delivery over the last nine month at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust. It's been a privilege to work alongside such a collaborative and energetic team and to see the positive impact this has produced.
"BASIL C19 (Behavioural Activation in Social IsoLation) is the only Urgent Public Health study led from NIHR Clinical Research Network North East and North Cumbria. BASIL has successfully recruited 96 participants and achieved their recruitment target on time. The study is a fantastic collaborative achievement between the research team at TEWV, University of York, and the NENC Primary Care team.
"NHS CHECK is an Urgent Public Health study and more than 30% (2200) of the entire TEWV workforce have participated - special thanks to Andrea Wilson and all the team for the huge effort promoting this study within TEWV. Non-COVID research and restart has seen more than 1000 participants recruited to 19 non-UPH studies since April 2020. In 2021 the trust is going to focus on supporting NENC led studies and exceeding their recruitment total at the same point in the previous year.
"I'd like to thank Aileen Henderson, Daynor Spurr, Andrea Wilson, Dave Ekers and the entire research team at TEWV who have all contributed magnificently to support the delivery of Urgent Public Health studies whilst maintaining recruitment to the majority of non-UPH portfolio studies."
- Steven Pratt, Research Delivery Manager and TEWV SPoC
On the fourth day of Christmas...
On the fourth day of Christmas, North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust gave to me...
"The team at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust have been dynamic in responding to the challenges that the Copvid-19 pandemic presented. In a very short space of time the team successfully set up eight Urgent Public Health studies that enabled almost 1,200 participants across Cumbria to participate in Covid-19 research.
"They were the top regional recruiters to the SIREN study, and in the last couple of weeks were in the top 5 sites in the country for the RECOVERY study having recruited 23% of COVID patients admitted to hospital in Cumbria.
"I'd like to thank the R&D department and all of the delivery teams in the trust - your hard work is appreciated and vital as we continue the fight against Covid-19."
- Angela Birt, Industry Operations Manager and NCIC SPoC
On the third day of Christmas...
On the third day of Christmas North East and North Cumbria GPs gave to the PRINCIPLE study team...
"The response of NENC GPs to the Covid-19 'call to arms' for primary care that the PRINCIPLE trial presented has been astounding. In addition to research experienced GPs and established LCRN partners, we are grateful to those GPs new to research who have risen to the challenge of participating in a platform adaptive RCT as their first NIHR research experience.
"The response from as early as March 2020 when much was unknown, with sustained commitment since then, to a trial which, by design, has evolved rapidly, has been awesome. This has been particularly impressive given that this new research engagement across North East and North Cumbria vulnerable communities has occured at the same time as the primary care model itself has been undergoing dramatic adaptation. As Chris Butler, PRINCIPLE Chief Investigator would say 'the eyes of the world are on this trial' and with the primary outcome being that of reducing hospital admissions, we are proud of the efforts of our GPs in providing this option of care to vulnerable members within their communities who have become infected with Covid 19.
"Thank you to all PRINCIPLE study GP Principle Investigators and GPs within affiliated sites across the North East and North Cumbria.
"Find out more about PRINCIPLE."
- Hilary Allan, Research Delivery Manager and Primary Care Lead
On the second day of Christmas....
On the second day of Christmas North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust gave to me...
"The research team at North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust have waited patiently for an Urgent Public Health study suitable for them to become involved in. Recently they have begun work on the PRINCIPLE study. In the meantime they have carried on recruiting well into all their own studies and are one of the top performing Ambulance Services for research in the country. Thank you to the research team, particularly, Michelle Jackson, Graham McClelland, Karl Charlton, Matthew Limmer, Sarah Hepburn and Emma Burrow."
- Susan Ridge, Research Delivery Manager and NEAS SPoC
On the first day of Christmas...
On the first day of Christmas Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust gave to me...
"The Clinical Characterisation Protocol for Severe Emerging Infection/ISARIC CCP-UK study is collecting data held in several different clinical databases on patients admitted to hospital with Covid-19 to produce one dataset for global use, to understand the disease and how it interacts with the person infected. This has been a huge task for staff: getting access to systems they wouldn't normally use, in busy clinical areas, pulling together data from several sources on such a huge scale. I would like to thank every staff member who has worked towards recruitment with this, it was resource intensive and thank you isn't enough."
- Justine Smith, Senior Strategic Manager and Gateshead SPoC
