Welcome to ‘Research’ at the Rame Group Practice
The doctors, together with the receptionists, administrative and nursing staff are proud to offer our patients the opportunity to take part in clinical research studies.
Dr Lawrence Barnes Dr Susie Keast Research Lead | Nickie Donlin Lorraine Hurl Research Nurse | Amelia Lewis Study Co-ordinator Leanne Jones Research Administrator
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Over 20,000 patients and healthy members of the public
take part in clinical research in the South West of England. There are rigorous processes in place, including ethics committee review, to protect the rights, safety, dignity and wellbeing of participants in research.
Clinical trials are research studies in which people help test treatments or approaches to prevention or diagnosis of health conditions to evaluate whether they are safe and effective.
Each trial is designed to keep risk to a minimum. We can only ask people to take part in a study who are suitable for the treatments.
Clinical trials are one stage of long and thorough health research. Trials are carried out in carefully planned phases, allowing health researchers to ask and answer questions in a way to provide reliable information in the best interests of the participants.
Trials are an important part of the process the NHS goes through in making decisions about which approaches to prevent, diagnose or treat conditions should be made available to the public.
Research study participants say benefits of taking part include:
• Learning more about their health condition and how best to manage it
• Feeling empowered
• Access to the very latest treatments
• Feeling good knowing helping others even if not going to necessarily reap the benefits directly themselves
• Satisfaction of contributing to medical advances
• Reassured that health care professionals are doing their best for their patients
• Reassured by closer monitoring of their health condition
• Research gives hope
The National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) help us in our research activities, with practical support to make clinical research studies happen. It is funded by the Department of Health to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research
The Clinical Research Network (CRN) is part of the NIHR. They co-ordinate a national network which enables and embeds high quality research, helping to making people and the NHS better.
They achieve this by:
• Ensuring that as many people as possible across England have the opportunity to participate in research.
• Providing researchers with the practical support they need to make clinical research studies happen in the NHS
• Ensuring efficient and effective delivery of high quality clinical research across the health community
• Attracting national and international clinical research investment
• Providing a coordinated response to national research priorities
Our clinical team meet every week and discuss research opportunities for patients so that all staff are 'up to date' on current studies.
Dr Lawrence Barnes, practice research lead, says 'Offering our patients the opportunity to benefit from participation in clinical research is embedded in our day to day services. It is a real team effort. The vast majority of people who take part in research tell us that they enjoy the experience and find it rewarding knowing they are helping improve treatments of the future.'
The Rame Group Practice has been conducting research studies for around 20 years and is committed to providing its research patients with a high standard of care and attention.