What we do

The group actively manages it’s research portfolio through regular progress review, identification of barriers to recruitment and actions to break these down.

They undertake tasks such as:

• Providing help and guidance for studies to get onto the Dermatology portfolio.
• Monitoring the performance of studies to ensure they are getting the right level of CLRN support. This includes working with the chief investigators of studies to help overcome barriers to recruitment and help with identifying new recuitment centres for multi-centre studies. Examples of how the Dermatology Specialty Group have supported such studies will be available shortly.
• Encouraging patient and public involvement (PPI) into decision making and management of studies. There are two patient representatives on the dermatology specialty group and the PPi strategy for the group will be available shortly.
• Linking into other national networks and key stakeholders such as the British Assocation of Dermatologists, the UK Dermatology Clinical Trials Network and the newly formed Dermatology Translational Research Network.
• Working with the Life-sciences Industry and has a nominated Industry Lead.
• Raising the profile of Dermatology Research within the Dermatology community for example by exhibiting at national dermatology research meetings, putting articles in professional journals and producing a leaflet about the activity of the group.

“The formation of the Dermatology Specialty Group has transformed and democratised the way we are able to deliver clinically important studies on skin diseases in the NHS today. The establishment of our Specialty Group has enabled much wider engagement in clinical research than ever before by involving patients, the public and health care professionals at all levels. Long may it last.”

Professor Hywel Williams MSc PhD FRCP Chair, NIHR DermatologySpecialty Group