CRN Greater Manchester praised in major independent review into UK commercial trials
NIHR Clinical Research Network Greater Manchester has been singled out for praise in an independent review of UK commercial clinical trials.
The government commissioned the review which sets out the actions needed to address key challenges within the system and reflects the work well underway by NIHR to create a thriving clinical research system fit for the future.
The review was conducted by former Health Minister Lord James O’Shaughnessy, Senior Partner at consultancy firm Newmarket Strategy and Board Member of Health Data Research UK (HDR UK).
Lord O’Shaughnessy consulted with industry and a wide range of stakeholders across the UK clinical trials sector.
His report, published on 25 May 2023, includes a case study on Greater Manchester which outlines how the region has “bucked the trend” in a challenging environment for UK participation in commercial trials in recent years, with a 44% increase in participation between 2017/18 and 2021/22 in the CRN Greater Manchester region.
Sarah Fallon, Chief Operating Officer of NIHR Clinical Research Network Greater Manchester, said:
“We are grateful to Lord O’Shaunessy for highlighting our performance in the delivery of commercially-sponsored trials. Our success in this area has been possible thanks to the ambitions and joint working of our region's leaders, provider partners, delivery teams and investigators. The achievements outlined in the report could not have happened without a full system approach and years of hard work across Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and East Cheshire.”
The full Greater Manchester case study included in the report:
The NIHR Greater Manchester CRN (NIHR GM CRN) and its regional health and social care providers have become a hub of commercial research delivery. Thanks to NIHR GM CRN’s strong research infrastructure and talented workforce, collaboration between providers, academia and industry, and a supportive business environment, NIHR GM CRN has a successful record of supporting life sciences research across a range of therapeutic areas and trial phases.
NIHR GM CRN beat national average times of study set up, accelerating their regional site start up timelines to an average of 51 days, in comparison to the national median for commercial study set up of over 117 days since 2019. Similarly, while an average of 60% of trials deliver to time and target across England, NIHR GM CRN has consistently recruited above the target of 80% for the last 10 years. While there has been a 36% decrease in national commercial study recruitment over the last 6 years, NIHR GM CRN has achieved a 19% increase.
NIHR GM CRN works closely with industry partners and in industry clusters to deliver high-quality research studies that meet the needs of both local communities and international sponsors. The NIHR GM CRN network has invested for over 10 years in a single leading business unit of research delivery experts who assist and expedite the initiation and delivery of commercial research, as an NIHR CRN GM dedicated team of staff employed solely to work on NIHR CRN Commercial studies headed up by an Industry Operations Manager. This team works with a deliverability process, which is centred on site engagement, specialty leadership, rapid resolution pathways and collaboration with regional site management organisations.
NIHR GM CRN has initiated a consent for contact registry, developed feasibility and recruitment systems, embedded digital connectivity, and has recently procured a mobile research unit. These services evolve through continual stakeholder feedback and proactive key account management, as part of the NIHR GM CRN progressive Business Development programme, which includes local health and care providers regularly coming together with companies to discuss key issues and future ambitions.
