DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release issued by The Government News Network on 24 June 2008
MORE INVOLVEMENT
AND CHOICE FOR PATIENTS
As many patients as possible will have the opportunity to be part
of medical research that will transform the healthcare and
wellbeing of the population, the Health Secretary Alan Johnson
announced today.
Speaking at a summit hosted by the Prime Minister to commemorate
60 years of NHS research, Mr Johnson underlined the huge
importance of research to the NHS and how the NHS had made
unparalleled advances in medical science and healthcare since it
was founded in 1948.
He set out new plans to ensure that patients, from every part of
the country, with any illness or disease, are made aware of
research that is of particular relevance to them. They will also
be able to take part in clinical trials if they meet the criteria.
This could mean a patient with Parkinson's disease, for
example, would be told about any ongoing research into their
particular condition and may be able to take part in trials that
could lead to an improvement or even cure.
Mr Johnson also announced the enablement of Academic Health
Science Centres to unite our top-flight academic and NHS
institutions to deliver excellent clinical care for patients.
Mr Johnson said:
"The UK is a world leader in health research. We owe a great
debt to the many thousands of people who have contributed over the
years to the future health and well-being of us all. These
advances could not have happened without the imagination and
commitment of the scientists and clinicians we celebrate today.
The people who took part in their research deserve to be part of
that celebration.
"I want every patient in the NHS to have the right to take
part in approved medical research that is appropriate for them, if
they choose to. And to underline the paramount importance of
research, we will set out in the forthcoming NHS constitution the
core role that it plays at the heart of the NHS."
A new report, 60 years of research in the NHS benefiting
patients, was also published today. It summarises some of the
great research discoveries which have been made in the NHS since
its birth in 1948.
Major discoveries involving the NHS include:
* Professor Sir Richard Doll and Professor Sir Austin Bradford
Hill were, in 1950, the first to discover a link between smoking
and lung cancer. In 1954 around 80 per cent of UK adults smoked -
that figure is now 26 per cent. Doll and Hill's work saved,
and continues to save, millions of lives.
* In 1962, Sir John Charnley, an orthopaedic surgeon, was the
first to perform a total hip replacement at the Wrightington
Hospital in Wigan. Today, more than 62,000 hip replacements, which
relieve pain and improve mobility, are carried out by the NHS each year.
* The world's first IVF baby Louise Brown, was born in
Oldham General Hospital in July 1978. Since then, more than one
million so-called 'test tube babies' have been born
around the world, bringing hope to the thousands of couples who
undergo fertility treatment each year.
* Professor Lesley Regan (St Mary's Hospital. London)
discovered that 15 per cent of women who had recurrent
miscarriages carried antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) in their
blood resulting in blood prone to clotting. Regan found that the
live birth rate of women with Apl treated with a combination of
aspirin and heparin rose to 70 per cent from around 10 per cent.
Sir David Cooksey, author of the Review of UK Health Research
Funding 2006, said:
"One of the key factors underpinning the quality, scope and
vibrancy of research in this country is the opportunity for
partnership-working between research funders, Universities, the
NHS and industry. These new initiatives, to involve patients more
closely in the research endeavour, will strengthen health research
still further."
Harpal Kumar, Chief Executive at Cancer Research UK, said:
"The Government's announcement today is extremely
welcome given that it helps to place health research at the core
of the NHS. It shows a commitment to provide more information
about the health research taking place in this country, and to
involve and recruit more patients in clinical trials. This is good
news for patients, both now and in the future."
Dr Mark Walport, Director of the Wellcome Trust, said:
"The Wellcome Trust and other medical research charities
have played a key role in supporting research which has led to
important advances in health. It is vital that patients continue
to have the opportunity to participate in research programmes. The
actions that the Government is taking today will help to ensure
that research becomes a normal part of the business of the NHS and
that patients are provided every opportunity to become partners in
research aimed at health improvement."
Sir Paul Nurse, Nobel Prize Winner and now President of
Rockefeller University in New York City, said:
"The UK has a great track record in health research. The
innovative steps that have been announced today will help to
ensure that it retains and strengthens its position at the
forefront of international research."
Notes to editors
1. The report, 60 years of research in the NHS benefiting
patients, can be found at: http://www.nihr.ac.uk/publications.aspx
2. The No. 10 Health Research Summit had the theme "The
Power of Partnership" to emphasise the key role played by all
partners - NHS, Government, Universities, charities, patients and
industry - working together to improve health and drive
international competitiveness through research. It aimed to
highlight the central role played by the NHS in research, and to
consider what steps are needed now, by all partners working
together, to consolidate and build on this strong position as the
NHS celebrates its 60th anniversary. The Summit was hosted by the
Prime Minister together with Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for
Health, and John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation,
Universities and Skills.
3. Patients will be made aware about ongoing research through
care records, in confidence, to notify relevant patients about the
opportunities for them to join in clinical trials; and by building
on the new Research Capability Programme within Connecting for
Health to enable NHS staff to obtain information about approved
clinical trials being conducted in the NHS across the country and
passing that information on to relevant patients. Together, these
measures will contribute to a clear, co-ordinated framework. They
will reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and help eligible patients who
wish to take part in research to do so swiftly and easily. We will
discuss with stakeholders the best ways of achieving this.
4. Academic Health Science Centres will bring together
world-class research teaching and patient care through strong
partnerships of the education, research and clinical functions of
leading hospitals and universities. Their purpose is to improve
the quality of life for patients and populations by taking
discoveries and promoting their application in the NHS and across
the world. An announcement as to how hospitals and universities
can apply will be made in due course.
5. The Government's strategy for research in the NHS is set
out in Best Research for Best Health http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Researchanddevelopment/ResearchAndDevelopmentStrategy/DH_4127109
The strategy is delivered by the National Institute for Health
Research. This provides the framework through which the research
staff and research infrastructure of the NHS in England is
positioned, maintained and managed as a national research
facility. The NIHR provides the NHS with the support and
infrastructure it needs to conduct first-class research funded by
the Government and its partners alongside high-quality patient
care, education and training. Its aim is to support outstanding
individuals (both leaders and collaborators), working in world
class facilities (both NHS and university), conducting leading
edge research focused on the needs of patients. More information
about the National Institute for Health Research is available on
its website at: http://www.nihr.ac.uk.
6. The Research Capability Programme is a formally managed
programme implemented as a partnership between NHS Connecting for
Health and the National Institute for Health Research. The
programme's primary objective is to enable research to
achieve its full potential as a 'core' activity for
healthcare, alongside other uses of NHS data that lead to
improvements in the quality and safety of care. More information
about the Research Capability Programme is available on the NHS
Connecting for Health web site at: http://www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/systemsandservices/research