As GP teams we experience the majority of patient contacts in the NHS. The increasing drive to provide care closer to home brings with it a need to boost primary care based research to build the evidence base underpinning the care we provide.
Research-active organisations are proven to have improved patient outcomes, higher patient satisfaction and better workforce recruitment and retention. What’s more, there is lots of support and funding available to help GP teams to get involved in research.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds primary care research projects and supports training and career development for primary care researchers. The NIHR operates nationally across England through the Research Delivery Network (RDN) and 12 Regional Research Delivery Networks (RRDNs), including the North West Regional Research Delivery Network (NW RRDN).
As of 1 October, 2024 the RDN is a new organisation which has been set up to respond to the changing requirements of the health and care research system, having taken over from the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN).
We have strong links with the North West Regional Research Delivery Network, which provides practical support to allow high-quality research to take place in NHS, public health and social care settings across the north west, including Greater Manchester. The NW RRDN is passionate about the contribution that clinical research can make to patient care, and works collaboratively to translate that passion into effective delivery of studies in the locality.
To access the latest information about research studies you can participate in, along with a range of other resources, visit the NW RRDN primary care research hub.
To sign up to the NW RRDN monthly primary care research bulletin, email: nw.rrdn@nihr.ac.uk
If you have any ideas about research that you would like to explore, please email: info.gmpcb@nhs.net
The video below explains the benefits of carrying out clinical research in primary care.
