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Research funding boost given to hospices in the West of England

A new funding model launched by the NIHR Clinical Research Network West of England (CRN WE) has awarded £30,000 to hospices in the region in line with its continued commitment to health and care research.

The funding, awarded to Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice in Cheltenham, Dorothy House Hospice in Bradford on Avon and St Peter’s Hospice in Bristol, will enable more research to be done in this setting into areas such as cancer, respiratory disorders, neurodegeneration and ageing.

As part of the new model, the CRN WE is also setting up a community of practice between hospice staff in the region to enable them to share best practice and support each other.

Ifan Jones, Chief Operating Officer at the CRN West of England said:
“We’re committed to supporting the work being done by research active hospices in the region and eager to build upon this, so that more people are given the opportunity to take part in research in hospice settings. We hope this funding, along with the community of practice, will enable research active hospices to expand their research portfolio, as well as helping other hospices to feel empowered and supported to take up research when they are able to. I’m really looking forward to seeing the great work the hospices will achieve with this funding and the impact it will have on patients in the region.”

Anne Parkinson Research Nurse at Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice said:
“The new funding model goes a long way to support more Principal Investigator/Research Nurse hours, allowing us to participate in more research studies and ultimately helping us to provide evidenced based palliative care. Having the additional support of the regional link nurse and the research practitioner will be appreciated during busier periods of recruitment.”

Wayne de Leeuw, Chief Executive of Dorothy House Hospice Care said:
“I want to say thank you to the CRN WE for their support and recognition of our ambition to enhance research in palliative and end of life care particularly in our local system/region. Their support is hugely valued and will help us go forward positively with colleagues and partners and ultimately improve the care patients and families get.”

Claire Prendergast, Lead Research Nurse at Dorothy House Hospice Care added:
“The team at the CRN have listened to the challenges faced by hospices who wish to develop their research portfolio. Not only have they listened, they have adapted the funding and worked with us to identify new ways of working. By improving collaboration and networking opportunities we hope that hospice staff will feel better supported in their research journey.”

Dr Anjali Mullick, Medical Director at St Peter’s Hospice said:
“As a hospice just embarking on our quest to become research active, we will really value the support the CRN can give us, in relation to funding opportunities, but also support, guidance and advice on how to progress. The changes proposed will help us develop our research governance structures and link us in to a network of peer support amongst hospices locally, which will encourage best practice.”

The CRN WE would like to encourage more hospices in the region to take on research with its support. If you work at a hospice and are interested in finding out more, please get in touch.

You can also find out more about a career in social care research on the Your Path in Research website.


Watch this video of Jan talking about her experience of taking part in palliative care research.