Throughout the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network (NIHR CRN) North West Exemplar Programme, Networks have demonstrated the ability to provide additional nursing support where necessary. For Margaret Cooper, Senior Manager for Cumbria and Lancashire Comprehensive Local Research Network (CL CLRN) this is down to the flexibility of the ‘core team’ she has at her disposal:
“When the Comprehensive Clinical Research Network was introduced in 2007, our aim was to widen the participation of research and ensure patients and healthcare professionals from all parts of our region were able to participate in, and benefit from, clinical research in all areas of disease and healthcare.
“We decided that the most effective way to build Network capacity was through a ‘core team’ or ‘nurse bank’ of clinical research officers who did not specialise and had the ability to work within all disease areas. This helped us increase the amount of research in the network, but it also meant that we could provide extra staff to assist in the set up of specific studies if necessary. As the network has got stronger, the core team, which is made up of clinical trials officers and research nurses have taken on lead roles in disease areas, but flexibility remains at the heart of our support service.”
The ability of Margaret’s team to transfer their skills across disease areas has seen North West Exemplar studies retain set-up momentum where otherwise they may have floundered. Extra nursing support was provided by CL CLRN for two diabetes studies and a cardiovascular study.
Clinical Trials Officer Lesley Rice is part of the CL CLRN core team and has seen the impact the staff model has had on study delivery:
“Before our introduction, it was often the case that if a research nurse fell ill, or had to go on leave, research had to stop. But because Margaret recruited a non-specialised core team, we weren’t restricted to disease areas and could pick up studies and retain study momentum if we had to. Of course, we don’t just turn up and get to work. We spend time building close working relationships with researchers so we have an understanding of their studies and can step in if called upon. “
NIHR CRN North West Exemplar homepage
