Our research

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.

About our service

Our team includes research nurses, practitioners and administrators, who assist experienced clinicians and other healthcare professionals to recruit participants into clinical trials and other research studies. These are across many medical specialties. They provide ongoing support to participants throughout their involvement in the studies.

The Research, Development and Innovation (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 across departments, including 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.

Below, 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 to 2027.

Clincial RDI Strategy 2022 to 2027 (3MB docx)

You can also email [email protected] 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. This will 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 commissioned and published a variety of reports looking at how we can maximise the potential for the UK to be world-leading in clinical research. This will be 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.

Government reporting on trust-level performance is expected to restart in 2025-2026, and the link to view our trust`s performance will be shared when available.

Our expertise

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 [email protected] 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.