“We need to work closely together” – A focus on research Cornwall
Sharon Hudson Research Manager, Lead Research Nurse, and at The Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Clinical Research Speciality Lead for Mental Health for Clinical Research Network South West Peninsula. She manages a team of 14 staff that deliver NIHR approved studies covering mental health, dementia, ageing, learning disabilities and Parkinson’s disease. Sharon aims to embed research into all of the trusts clinical services and thereby engaging staff to make them aware of the research studies. The aim is to be able to offer patients, staff and public opportunities to be involved.
Sharon: “Without the NIHR we wouldn’t have access to high quality research. [It’s about] Building the evidence base means advancing and improving care and treatment for patients and service delivery.”
The way that health services are delivered is changing with more care being provided in the community. The newly developed NHS long term plan is to increase the opportunity for research to be delivered in the community moving away from a traditional model that focussed around acute hospitals. There is growth in studies that involve the general public and those receiving primary care.
Research studies in the community broaden the number of patients that can access studies but it isn’t without challenges. Delivering research in the community in Cornwall can make it harder to recruit participants due to the geography and how the population is spread out. Community Hospitals offer a solution for engaging with the community by allowing research staff to recruit at drop-in clinics. This allows staff to speak to potential participants, make them aware of relevant studies in the area and hopefully sign them up for studies.
Collaboration between teams is called upon when working in the community. The recent ‘HAPPI’ study utilised the NIHR’s Clinical Support Team and CFT research team to gain participant consent with Sharon’s team now focussing on delivering follow up appointments. As Sharon states,
“We need to work closely together as this brings the benefits of a crossover of knowledge, skills and experience. One aspect that helps collaboration work well is good communication so that patient access to research is improved.”
Sharon and her team aim to install a ‘culture of research’ in their work and encourage staff to spread the word. The ’Research Showcase Event’ at the Eden Project helps to achieve this. To raise the profile they look to involve a prominent speaker and cover relevant exciting topics. The theme for the next event is the use of digital tools with a look at the use of Virtual Reality Technology in mental healthcare.
Delivering research in the community offers challenges and opportunities. Sharon and her team’s flexible and collaborative approach allow them to deliver the high-quality research that’s needed to meet the region’s changing needs.
