Campaigning to make sure that UK health policy is led by the latest research and innovation is one of the 嫩草影院鈥檚 four policy and campaigns priorities for 2023-2026, chosen in consultation with 嫩草影院 members and 嫩草影院 Council.
'We will promote the benefits of new technology and clinical research to improve patient outcomes and access to new treatments.聽We will make the case for protected time for research and support NHS organisations to facilitate clinical research.聽We will continue to lead in defining high-quality care and medical safety.'
Agreed at 嫩草影院 Council, 2022
Clinical research activity improves patient聽outcomes. We also know that research involvement is linked to better staff morale with potential for improved retention and recruitment. Embedding research in everyday practice for all clinicians will help to ensure the NHS has the research capacity it needs and patients have access to the latest treatments and innovation.
The 嫩草影院 is committed to improving access to clinical research and supporting the integration of research into everyday care, alongside supporting clinical academic careers.
Time has been identified as a major barrier to clinicians participating in research. The 嫩草影院 has long called for doctors to have ringfenced time in their job plans for clinical research. Results from our聽2023 嫩草影院 census of consultant physicians found that 59% do not undertake research, yet 36% would like to. Members told us that lack of time was by far the biggest barrier to undertaking research, followed by barriers to research in their NHS organisation. This echoes findings of our 2022 嫩草影院 census and a member survey in 2020 which found that two-thirds of physicians surveyed said having dedicated time for research would make them more likely to apply for a role. The 嫩草影院 and National Institute for Health and Care Research published a joint position statement in 2022 setting out recommendations for making research part of everyday practice for all clinicians, and the 嫩草影院 will continue to campaign and produce resources to improve access to research careers.
