Research & Development (R&D)

About

Ensuring that our patients are able to take part in clinical trials and other well designed research studies is an important part of the way that Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust provides care.

Having an embedded research culture is important because:

  • Extensive research has shown that patients believe it is important for the NHS to carry out clinical research with the vast majority wanting to be treated in a hospital where research takes place
  • It allows us develop and deliver more effective ways of looking after our patients
  • It encourages our clinical staff to ask questions, to develop research strategies to address them and to contribute to local, regional, national and international research studies will allow our healthcare workforce to reach its full potential. A culture of research in any NHS organisation empowers its staff to think critically and facilitates innovation.
  • It provides income generation through innovation to support the development of research capability and the translation of research findings into improvements in patient care
  • The Government is committed to the promotion and conduct of research as a core NHS role, recognising that this is an integral component of its strategy to support research and innovation to maximise health and economic productivity

The Trust is proud of its long track record of excellence in clinical research.

Team

Prof Derek Connolly
Director of Research and Development

Kelly Hard
Head of Research and Development
kellyhard@nhs.net
0121 507 4811

Mrs Hoda Harb
Deputy Director of Research and Development

Zaida Khalil
Research Management and Governance Manager
zaida.khalil@nhs.net
0121 507 4092

Joanne Dasgin
Lead Clinical Research Practitioner
joanne.dasgin@nhs.net

Sarah Potter
Senior Research Midwife
Sarah.Potter1@nhs.net

Carol Zullo
Senior Clinical Research Practitioner
c.zullo@nhs.net

Our performance

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust is committed to providing our patients with the opportunity to take part in clinical research studies. We endeavour to open studies as quickly as possible to ensure that the study meets its recruitment target in the planned timeline.

To find out more about our performance for initiating and delivering research, please visit the NIHR Clinical Trial Performance (CTP) website which contains full details of our performance for each quarter.

If you would like to conduct your research in the Trust, please email  swbh.randd.generic@nhs.net.

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust encourages all staff in the Trust to be research active. We have a broad portfolio to ensure patients in our care have access to new treatments and interventions.

The Trust has is a new Clinical Research Facility (CRF) based in the Outpatient Department at Sandwell General Hospital. The CRF has laboratory with processing and storage facilities. Researchers and clinical teams are encouraged to use the CRF for patient appointments. For more information, please contact Kelly Hard, Head of Research and Development. We have a research team, including research nurses, midwives, clinical trials practitioners and data coordinators to support the delivery of your studies.

Our supportive Research Management and Governance Team are available to provide advice and advise on study set up.

If you are interested in conducting research at in our Trust, please contact the Research and Development Team by emailing on swbh.randd.generic@nhs.net  or call 0121 507 5439 and request to speak with a member of the RM&G Team. We support experienced and new chief and principal investigators, as well as student and novice researchers.

COVID-19 Research

Our hospitals are taking part in important clinical research looking at treatments for COVID-19. If you or a family member have been admitted to one of our wards, do ask your doctor for information about the studies we have open.

You can find some helpful information about the importance of research and how it is helping us understand more about research by clicking here.

Information for patients and families

Carrying out research is the way that we improve treatments and care and make our services better.

Our Trust takes part in a range of local, national and international clinical trials and other well designed studies. Therefore during your care with us, your doctor or a member of the team looking after you may talk to you about research and ask if you would like to join a study.

Your doctor or a member of our expert research team (research nurses, midwives and clinical trials practitioners) will tell you about the research and ask you if you would like to take part.

You will be given written information about the study and you will be encouraged to ask questions and go home and discuss this with your family. You will then be invited back to talk about the study again and if you would like to take part you will be enrolled in the study.

Sometimes, if it is urgent that you start treatment you may not have time to go home and talk to family, but you will always be able to ask as many questions as you would like.

You don’t have to wait to be asked to take part in research, we would encourage you to ask your doctor or member of their team, if there is research that you can take part in.

Interested in taking part?

Any patients wishing to have an informal chat about taking part in research at the Trust can email swbh.randd.generic@nhs.net or telephone 0121 507 5439.

A playlist of YouTube videos relating to Research and Development can be found on the Trust’s YouTube channel here.

To find out more general information about clinical research and taking part in it, visit these useful websites:

If you are interested in taking part in research about dementia, please go to the Join Dementia Research website. Anyone can register interest, you don’t have to have dementia.

Please feel free to share your experiences of this service. Please e-mail your views to swbh.comms@nhs.net

 

Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust is a research active Trust, conducting a broad portfolio of research studies across most of our clinical specialties. Our involvement in research ranges from short questionnaire studies to complex treatment trials. In 2019-20, we recruited more than 2600 research participants into more 110 different studies.

If you would like more detail about the studies that we have open at the moment, please email swbh.randd.generic@nhs.net.

If you would like to conduct your research in the Trust, please email  swbh.randd.generic@nhs.net.

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust participates in research, including projects where you have to give your consent, that is, we will let you know about the study and ask if you want to take part. It is your choice whether you do. We also undertake research within the Trust and contribute to national research projects that use your records where the law allows us to not specifically ask your permission first. We will always look after your data and comply with UK laws and regulations.

You can read our full privacy statement here.

If you don’t wish the Trust to use your care records for any research without us first asking your permission, please read this short document here.

For research where Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust has additional data responsibilities for studies, we have produced study specific privacy information. Please click on the relevant named link below.Study specific statements will be include here when there are Sandwell and West Birmingham sponsored studies.

Study specific privacy statements

CCP-UK Patient Notification Form

IBM Watson Health Imaging: Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to look at chest X-rays and scans.