Research and Development
What is research?
Research is vital in providing the new knowledge needed to improve health across the population. The NHS Constitution confirms the commitment of the NHS to "the promotion, conduct and use of research to improve the current and future health and care of the population". All parts of the NHS have a role to play in undertaking and supporting research as well as using research evidence when deciding what services the NHS provides. Additionally, NHS based research is a very important part of the UK economy.
Research plays a vital role in the development of a continuously improving health care system and we aim to encourage research activity wherever possible. Notwithstanding this, research is an adjunct to patient care and should never conflict with best clinical practice.
Research plays a vital role in the development of a continuously improving health care system and we aim to encourage research activity wherever possible. Notwithstanding this, research is an adjunct to patient care and should never conflict with best clinical practice.
Research is activity designed to find out new knowledge. This is not to be confused with audit that is measuring existing practice against a known standard. In many cases, this distinction is unclear. The Health Research Authority (HRA) has released useful algorithms to enable you to determine whether your project falls under the category of research, audit or service evaluation: http://www.hra-decisiontools.org.uk/research/.
Not all projects undertaken within the NHS are 'research'. The term 'research' has a specific meaning and if a proposal does not fall within this definition it will not require review by a REC or approval by an NHS Research and Development (RandD) office, but may require review by another department within the trust such as clinical audit.
UHD are a research active organisation, NIHR have produced a video about research in Trusts
Why is research important?
Every minute in the UK, someone is diagnosed with a disease or a condition. The treatment and support they will receive will, at some point, have been informed by research. Whether it’s testing a new medicine, a new surgery procedure or scan, or trying healthier lifestyle choices to prevent disease, everyone has an important role to play – if they want to.
Overall, the aim is to find out whether what is being tested is better than what is currently available. This can include therapies, medicines and services.
Although health professionals already know a great deal, there are still so many questions that need answers.
Our Vision
Our vision is to deliver patient driven quality care through research, and break down barriers to research to foster a thriving research culture at the trust, ensuring respect for quality research, respect for research participants (patients), and respect for researchers.
Our key functions are:
- To support the growth and delivery of faster, easier quality research within the trust
- To support set up and delivery of individual research projects within the trust
Our Purpose
To foster a thriving research culture throughout the trust, ensuring high quality research and respect for our research participants and staff.
Our Values
UHD strives to provide the excellent care we would expect for our own families. We seek to support and deliver our research strategy by creating an ethos throughout the directorate underpinned by our core trust values. We provide support and guidance at each stage of a research project, from inception to publication.
These pages are designed for those two intend to, are currently undertaking or are interesting in research within the trust.
Contact Us
To contact us, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 0300 019 8500.
