Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust encourages all staff to be research active. We have a broad portfolio to ensure patients in our care have access to new treatments and interventions.
We have laboratory space at all three of our base locations with processing and storage facilities. Researchers and clinical teams are encouraged to use the Clinical Research Facility for patient appointments.
Our supportive research management and governance team are available to provide advice and advice on study set up.
We support experienced and new chief and principal investigators, as well as student and novice researchers.
Our team is made up of a wide range of professions and roles from nurses, data managers, business intelligence, midwives, clinical research practitioners, quality assurance, research facilitators and Health Care Assistants.
We also have wide variety of specialties and support services conducting research at the Trust.
Undertaking research at the Trust
There are a number of things you will need to know or consider before you can carry out a study.
Please contact R&D on swbh.randd.sponsorship@nhs.net if you are considering submitting a new study proposal and we can support you with the following:
- Initial planning
- Sponsorship and funding
- Feasibility and approvals
If you are wanting the Trust to act as a research site to delivery an existing study or study in set up, then please contact R&D on swbh.randd.generic@nhs.net and we can support you through the study set up process for Capacity and Capability.
More information for current staff can be found on the staff intranet or the Health Research Authority website.
Roles and responsibilities
There are numerous roles and responsibilities for those wishing to contribute to research, the most common are listed below:
- Chief investigator. This is the person who takes overall responsibility for the design and conduct of the study. Ensuring oversight and compliance with all regulatory approvals from initial idea to publication of the study.
- Principal Investigator. This is the person who takes responsibility for the set up and conduct of the study at a particular organisation, ensuring oversight and compliance from start to finish of the study.
- Clinical Research Practitioners. These health care professionals will support the Principal Investigator and Chief Investigator with various aspects of a study e.g participant identification, informed consent processes, assessments, follow up visits.
- Data Co-ordinators: These staff help to extract, obtain, input, and gather relevant information to enable the research question being tested to be answered.
All staff working on research projects are assessed prior to commencement with duties assigned based on experience, training and competence to undertake.
Starting your study
All studies are expected to be open to recruitment within 60 days of the date the organisation was selected to participate. This is a requirement for all research projects, with the exception of rare diseases.
Studies cannot commence at the organisation without Capacity and Capability Assurance provided by the Research and Development Department, regardless of whether Health Research Authority, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency or Research Ethics Committee approvals have been obtained. This currently takes an average of 30 days from receipt of a valid submission.
If you require any support throughout your research, please contact the Research and Development team on swbh.randd.generic@nhs.net.
They can provide guidance on all aspects of research including, but not limited to, making changes to your study, progress reports or reporting recruitment figures.