There are many different clinical research studies running across the hospital. Our research nurses/ practitioners, research and innovation office and supporting administration team are based on the Stepping Hill Hospital site: 

Research, Development and Innovation Department, Ward C2, Stepping Hill Hospital, Poplar Grove, Stockport, SK2 7JE.

Tel:  0161 419 5893/ Email: research.development@stockport.nhs.uk

Welcome to the Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) service. Research is the cornerstone of first-class healthcare and is essential to help us understand which treatments and therapies work best for patients.

The RD&I service is responsible for the infrastructure and governance relating to our Trust’s research portfolio. Our team of research nurses, practitioners and administrators support a number of experienced clinicians and other healthcare professionals to recruit participants into clinical trials and other research studies, across many medical specialties. They provide on-going support to participants throughout their involvement in a research study.

The RD&I service provides governance and regulatory advice, and issues capacity and capability confirmation for research projects to take place in our Trust.

Our work is supported by dedicated staff in pharmacy, laboratories and radiology.

If you are visiting our hospital as a patient, relative or carer, or are a member of staff, you may be approached by one of our team to take part in a research study.

You can also read our joint strategy with Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust for what we are hoping to achieve for RD&I between 2022 - 2027. Please email research.development@stockport.nhs.uk for a copy.

Our performance

The Government wishes to see a dramatic and sustained improvement in the performance of providers of NHS services in initiating and delivering clinical research. The aim is to increase the number of patients who have the opportunity to participate in research and to enhance the nation’s attractiveness as a host for research.

The Government’s Plan for Growth, published in March 2011, announced the transformation of incentives at local level for efficiency in initiation and delivery of research. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) enforced the transparency commitment for this exercise. Providers of NHS services were required to publish outcomes for the initiation of clinical trials and delivery to time and to target for commercial clinical trials. This performance reporting ceased during the pandemic.

Since then, the Government has comissioned and published a variety of reports looking at how we can maximise the potential for the UK to be world-leading in clinical research for the benefit of patients, the NHS and the economy. The UK Clinical Research Delivery Programme and Government priority is to streamline and reform set-up and delivery of clinical trials: Management information on recruitment to clinical research studies - GOV.UK.

Trust level reporting by the Government will likely restart in 2025/26 and the link to view our Trust`s performance will be shared when available.

Our main areas of research are: Ageing; anaesthetics and critical care; cancer; cardiology; children; ear, nose and throat; gastroenterology; health services; hepatology; infectious disease; musculoskeletal (orthopaedics and rheumatology); ophthalmology; renal disorders; reproductive health (including maternity services); respiratory; stroke; surgery; vaccines.

The Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) service is happy to share our full list of research projects actively recruiting, including sponsor details should our participants wish to access further transparency information provided by sponsors. Please email research.development@stockport.nhs.uk for a current list. 

We are always looking at the possibility of conducting research in new areas. We also provide education to the staff and students we work alongside.

There are several ways you can be involved in research: as a participant if you are being treated for a particular medical condition; as a healthy volunteer; as a relative or carer of a patient. If you are a member of staff, you may be part of a research team, or you may be asked to participate in a study about your role.

When being treated in our hospital, you may be invited to take part in one of the many research studies we are undertaking. You may be approached by your consultant or specialist nurse, or by another member of our research/ healthcare teams. Please note that Stockport NHS Foundation Trust is research active and research is a key priority for our hospital. We actively support health and care research to expand the options available to our patients.

You can also actively contact our team to take part in a study even if you are not a current patient, and we welcome volunteers. Just contact our team via phone on 0161 419 5893, or e-mail research.development@stockport.nhs.uk

You will be given information about the study and a member of our research team will discuss this with you. You will be given time to read/ review the information and the opportunity to ask questions.

For some studies you may need to attend extra visits. This will be explained to you.

Participation in research is always voluntary, and if you decide not to take part you will always receive current standard care.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is a source of a wealth of information relating to clinical research. To find out more, please visit: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/.

Be Part of Research is also a free service which makes it easy to find and take part in vital health and care research across the UK. You can confirm which health conditions you’re interested in so you can be matched to suitable studies and be sent information on how to take part. You can find out more here: Be Part of Research.

Participant information for health and care research

Please visit the Health Research Authority (HRA) website: Health Research Authority.

This provides details around how participant information and data may be used for research, how information may be kept for future research and your choices about health and care research.

At Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, the research delivery team is made up of clinical research nurses and practitioners who are seen as part of the clinical care team at our Trust. They may be involved in screening your medical records to ensure our service users and patients are offered any research opportunties that are relevant to them.

If you do decide to participate in a research study at Stockport, we will also collect your year of birth data to report to the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), part of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). This information is not part of a research study and is not reported at an individual level. The data will be used to evaluate equity of access to research, like the recording and review of patient information for other services provided by NHS organisations. The collection of this data also supports our responsibility to ensure equality, diversity and inclusion to all aspects of healthcare.