Devon GP practice wins major award for health research
A South Devon practice has won a prestigious national award for its contribution to clinical research.
The achievements of the Bovey Tracey and Chudleigh Practice were recognised at the Royal College of General Practitioners Research Awards, run in partnership with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), last month at the annual awards ceremony held in Liverpool.
Picking up the Practice Award, the South Devon team at Riverside surgery in Bovey Tracey and the Tower House surgery in Chudleigh were praised for demonstrating excellence and innovation in delivering NIHR research in primary care.
Applicants were required to outline their contribution to NIHR Clinical Research Network Portfolio studies with particular weight being attached to the range and number of patients in NIHR Clinical Research Network studies; how patients have been engaged and informed of new opportunities to participate in clinical research; their contribution and innovative methods used in the successful delivery of clinical research studies.
Dr Danny Thomas, the practice research lead, said: “We are very proud to have won this award. This is a great reflection of all the hard work and commitment from our research team, the practice staff, and most importantly the patients who have generously volunteered to be part of our research work.
“Research adds interesting variety to my role as a GP and enables me to be part of the wider medical community. As a practice it helps keep us up-to-date and contribute to the leading edge of medical progress. It builds teamwork across clinical and non-clinical roles, and encourages staff to develop new skills. It allows patients to be engaged with their healthcare and contribute a real difference to the lives of other people with their health conditions.”
The practice is currently involved in five research studies looking at conditions including kidney disease and arthritis. The practice research team has recruited 70 people to participate in clinical research studies already this financial year and were highly commended last year for having the highest number of people recruited in Devon through their GP practice to research trials and the whole of the Clinical Research Network South West area from Somerset to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
Lisa Gibbons, primary care research lead for the NIHR in the South West, said: “This is a fantastic achievement and very well-deserved. The contribution that the Bovey Tracey and Chudleigh Practice team has made to clinical research is very worthy of celebration – by providing their patients with opportunities to take part in the latest clinical trials they are giving them access to the latest treatments and technologies available for a broad range of health conditions.”
Since its inception in 2006, the NIHR has significantly increased the scale of clinical research in the NHS, particularly through the NIHR Clinical Research Network. The enthusiastic engagement of NHS clinicians is an essential condition for sustaining and building on this success; particularly given the many competing demands on clinician time and resources.
As part of the application process the applicants had to set out what activities they planned to carry out in the future to improve research delivery.
