East Cheshire practice commended for role in health and care research
An East Cheshire general practice group has been recognised for its fantastic work in providing patients with opportunities to be part of health and care research.
The CRN Greater Manchester Certificate of Achievement is presented to deserving teams or individuals who have made a significant contribution to the delivery of health and care research in the region.
Knutsford Medical Partnership was presented with the accolade by representatives from Clinical Research Network (CRN) Greater Manchester, part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The partnership’s involvement in research has gone from strength to strength under the leadership of its Research Manager, Helen Hodgson, and Lead GP, Dr Tom Morgan.
Led by Helen and Tom, the partnership has qualified for ‘level three’ funding, the highest band of NIHR funding for Primary Care organisations, to support the delivery of NIHR portfolio studies across its four practices in Knutsford, which serve 23,500 patients and employ over 120 members of staff.
Knutsford Medical Partnership has been involved in over 20 research studies, such as the Discover Me genetics study, the Diamond Study looking at dietary management of Type 2 diabetes, and the Interact study measuring loneliness in the UK, which has resulted in over 650 patients registered with the partnership taking part in research.
By being part of research, participants can learn more about a condition that affects them and can make a difference by helping to improve treatments and quality of life, now and for future generations.
Staff across each of the organisation’s four sites have got involved in making research part of their job roles and the partnership has also raised awareness of research among community groups connected to their local Primary Care Network.
Helen Hodgson, Research Manager at Knutsford Medical Partnership: said:
“Thank you to the team at CRN Greater Manchester for the Certificate of Achievement, we were delighted to receive this. As a partnership, we have really enjoyed becoming more research-active over the past 12 months and are pleased with how well this has been received by both staff and patients within the practice. We look forward to continuing to promote research and being involved in many new and varied opportunities in the future.”
Liam Taylor, CRN Greater Manchester’s Research Delivery Manager who leads on Primary Care, said:
“We were thrilled to present Helen and Tom with this accolade in recognition of their excellent work in providing patient access to research across their sites.
“We know the majority of patient contacts with the NHS come through people’s appointments with their GP, so it is vital we support general practices so they can offer as many patients as possible the option to be part of studies which can help them on a personal level and improve health and care for everyone.”
