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Birmingham academic appointed Clinical Lead of new NIHR network

Written by Louise Stanley on . Posted in Birmingham Health Partners, Clinical trials.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has awarded £6.5 million, funded jointly through a public-private partnership with the pharmaceutical industry, to establish a UK-wide Commercial Research Delivery Centre (CRDC) Network. The Network is hosted by University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL), with Birmingham Health Partners’ Managing Director Professor Lorraine Harper as its Clinical Lead, and will commence formally on 1 September 2025.

The new Network will provide strategic coordination of all 21 CRDCs across the the UK. It will play a key role in building research capacity, streamlining the interface between industry and the UK clinical trials delivery infrastructure, and enhancing efficiency to deliver commercial clinical research through harmonised processes, in line with the Government’s call to turbocharge medical research earlier this year.

The Network will:

  • Provide strategic leadership and national coordination across the 21 CRDCs across the UK
  • Offer a central point of contact for industry sponsors
  • Facilitate study feasibility, placement and setup across the UK
  • Foster collaboration with regulators, wider NIHR and UK-wide delivery infrastructure, and other key stakeholders to advance UK Clinical Research Delivery
  • Support workforce development, inclusion, and public involvement
  • Facilitate the integration of the Primary Care CRDCs (PC-CRDCs) in England in autumn 2025, adopting them into the Network

By aligning CRDC efforts and offering a cohesive offer to industry, the Network will ensure that the CRDCs deliver against industry expectations for faster, more efficient set up and delivery of commercial research in the UK.

Lorraine Harper, Professor of Nephrology at the University of Birmingham and Managing Director of Birmingham Health Partners, is the Director of the Central and North West Midlands CRDC and has been appointed Clinical Lead of the new Network. She said: “The vision of the Network is to ensure equitable access, diverse recruitment and a much more efficient model of trial delivery, improving NHS and patient access to trials. With Birmingham Health Partners already leading a regional programme to reduce bureaucracy in clinical trials, and BHP member Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospitals hosting the Central and North West Midlands CRDC, this is an exciting opportunity to align all our work and deliver a ‘gold standard’ for commercial clinical trials.”

BHP founding member Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust hosts the £7m Central and West North Midlands (C&NWM) CRDC, working closely with regional partners Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust – host of Staffordshire and Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Health Research Partnership (SSHERPA) – and the Black Country Provider Collaborative.

The C&NWM region, home to 4.2 million people, includes many of the UK’s most economically deprived communities who face significant health inequalities and higher rates of serious illness. The CRDC will focus on addressing these inequities by increasing access to clinical trials for patients who have the greatest need – dovetailing with BHP’s strategic focus on addressing health inequalities and giving greater opportunities for residents to participate in research.

Professor Melanie Davies, Professor of Diabetes Medicine at the University of Leicester and Honorary Consultant Diabetologist for University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, and Director of the CRDC Network, said: “We are really proud that University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust has been awarded this funding to host this federated CRDC Network across the four nations of the UK. We are fully committed to working with our partners across the UK to deliver faster, more efficient set up and delivery of commercial research. We want to drive increased investment from industry and enable even more people to take part in studies that can lead to the future approval of new medicines and devices for the benefit of patients in the UK.”

Dr Maria Koufali, NIHR Life Sciences Industry Director, said: “The UK CRDC Network is a critical part of our national effort to transform UK clinical research delivery. By streamlining trial set-up and expanding access into community and underserved settings, it will help make the UK one of the most attractive destinations globally for commercial research. This means faster access to innovative treatments for patients, greater investment in the NHS and a stronger life sciences sector that boosts the health and wealth of the nation.”

Pardeep Janjua and Carlos Chan take home summer BHP People awards

Written by Louise Stanley on . Posted in BHP People, Birmingham Health Partners.

July’s BHP People awards have been awarded to Pardeep Janjua, Research Data and Systems Officer at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals (SWB) and Carlos Chan, Research Development Coordinator at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (ROH).

Our reward and recognition scheme is designed to spotlight our colleagues who play a vital role in the success of research studies and clinical trials, and whose work is integral to groundbreaking scientific endeavours.

Pardeep was nominated by SWB’s Head of Research & Development Kelly Hard, who said: “Over the last two years Pardeep has worked tirelessly to provide robust quality datasets across the organisation that can be utilised for all areas of research. He has co-designed these reports with the needs of clinicians, researchers and leaders in mind, which has enabled better oversight of all elements resulting in increased awareness, understanding and ultimately, better outcomes.

“Pardeep has presented this work at two international conferences and it has also earnt him an internal Trust award. He has been upscaling this work across the Black Country and is now in discussions to extend beyond.

“These data sets and report not only aid in decision making for individual projects and researchers but have enabled us to baseline and benchmark departments to enable new initiatives.”

We met with Pardeep to find out a little more about his journey from pharmacy to data management, and the challenges and opportunities of scaling his work from SWB across the region more widely. Read his story here: “BHP People – the ultimate goal is to make research more accessible”.

Nominating Carlos, the ROH’s Head of Research, Audit and Development Gareth Stephens, said: “Carlos came to R&D at ROH after relocating his family from Hong Kong to the UK. He started with us in a Band 2 administrative role; however, his project management and IT skills were very quickly apparent. These skills have seen him successfully climb the ladder within R&D, initially as a Data Manager and now as a Research Development Coordinator, within our Governance team.

“Carlos has an unrivalled work ethic, diligence and attention to detail that makes him ideally suited to research. Furthermore, his courteous manner, ‘can-do’ attitude and positivity make him a popular and supportive member of staff. Carlos has significantly improved our data capture and analysis capabilities, especially concerning study set up times. As a result of his work, we are seeing our processes become more efficient and set-up times reducing. We have no doubts that Carlos will continue to develop within the coming years.”

We sat down with Carlos to find out a little more about his career journey to date, and how his work has helped enable faster, more efficient study set-ups and reporting. Read his story here: “BHP People – one team, one goal”.

By championing individuals including research nurses, statisticians, pharmacists and many others, BHP People also highlights the incredible diversity of careers in research and the essential contributions that these professionals make. As well as celebrating individual excellence, the initiative reflects the shared dedication of our diverse partner organisations to driving collaborative research.

Meet our previous winners

BHP People – “one team, one goal”

Written by Louise Stanley on . Posted in BHP People, Birmingham Health Partners.

Carlos Chan, Research Development Coordinator at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, is the Trust’s first recipient of the BHP People recognition award.

We spoke to Carlos about his rapid progression from administrator to integral member of the ROH’s growing research team.

Q: Can you briefly run us through your career so far and how you came to work at ROH?

CC: My career began at a multinational nutrition science company in Hong Kong, where I worked as a brand manager and was heavily involved in new product development and commercial research. When I relocated to the UK I was keen to pursue a career in research, as it aligned closely with my personal values – especially the goal of contributing to better health for future generations. That’s when I had the opportunity to join the ROH Research Team.

I initially started as a band 2 administrator, which gave me invaluable insight into how the Trust operates and allowed me to build strong relationships across departments. My curiosity and desire to contribute more deeply led to a promotion to Data Manager where, with the support of a fantastic team, we significantly improved study delivery – streamlining referrals and communication for the ICONIC osteosarcoma study and hitting recruitment targets for the RADICAL pain management trial. We also achieved the highest response rate in the West Midlands for the 2023 NIHR Participant in Research Experience Survey (PRES).

I’m now working as a Research Development Coordinator, where I draw on my project management and liaison skills. Thanks to the collaborative culture and my earlier experience in delivery, we’ve streamlined processes and reduced setup times. It’s been a journey full of support and inclusion, and I’m excited for what’s ahead!

Q: In your current role, what are some of the tasks and duties you’re involved in most frequently?

CC: I’m responsible for coordinating research projects from the feasibility stage through to activation, and then managing amendments throughout the study’s life cycle.

I work closely with internal and external partners, including trial units, Principal Investigators, clinicians, research nurses, data managers, and pharmacy technicians. I also liaise with national bodies like the NIHR, HRA, and HSCNI to resolve governance queries.

My duties include performing local governance checks, securing cost approvals, managing risk assessments, and finalising contracts. This ensures that our site is ready and capable of opening each study.

Q: Have you experienced any particular challenges in your role, and how have you overcome them?

CC: Like any collaborative environment, we do encounter challenges – particularly when coordinating across departments or working through complex processes. When this happens, I always return to the principle of “one team, one goal.” I try to clearly identify our shared objective and assess what’s realistically achievable based on the resources available. We then openly discuss the pros and cons of different approaches. This collaborative decision-making ensures we move forward with the most effective solution, even if it’s not perfect for everyone involved.

Q: You’ve played a major role in improving data capture and reducing study set-up times – can you tell us more about the changes you introduced and the impact they’ve had?

CC: When I stepped into my current role, I noticed an opportunity to improve our study set-up tracking. I integrated our existing local governance processes into a custom-programmed Gantt chart which allows us to track every milestone and subtask, assign responsibilities, and monitor lead times. It has dramatically improved our visibility into each study’s progress. Additionally, we created a performance dashboard using PowerBI. This automation reduced the time required for reporting from several hours to just a few minutes. These tools have not only streamlined workflows but also enabled us to spot delays early and proactively address them – leading to faster, more efficient study setups.

Q: Can you tell us about some of the studies (past or present) that you’ve found particularly rewarding to be part of?

CC: One standout project is the ICONIC study, a UK-wide osteosarcoma research initiative which collects clinical and biological data to enhance our understanding of this rare cancer. As a surgical site without chemotherapy services, we had many referrals and patient transfers, which added complexity. Maintaining data integrity and a positive patient experience across sites was a challenge we tackled through strong collaboration with the trial unit and teams across the UK. The study is now at the end of recruitment, and I’m incredibly proud of our contribution.

More recently, we launched the FORENSIC trial, sponsored by the University of Oxford and led locally by Professor Adrian Gardner. It investigates whether lumbar fusion surgery is more effective than conservative care for persistent lower back pain. ROH was the first site to open and recruit for this trial, and I’m thrilled to see its early success.

Q: Looking ahead, what are your goals for your role in research development, and what areas of improvement or innovation are you most excited about?

CC: I hope to gain experience with a wider variety of studies, including device and pharmaceutical trials. One of the best things about working in research and development is the constant opportunity to learn and take on new challenges.

I also want to support the setup of more studies at ROH, enabling more clinicians and patients to engage in cutting-edge research that leads to better treatments and outcomes.

Above all, I hope every participant enjoys their research experience and feels encouraged to share it with others. By building a positive research culture, we can collectively advance healthcare and improve lives.

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BHP People – “the ultimate goal is to make research more accessible”

Written by Louise Stanley on . Posted in BHP People, Birmingham Health Partners, Uncategorized.

Pardeep Janjua, Research Data and Systems Officer at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals, is the Trust’s first recipient of the BHP People recognition award.

We spoke to Pardeep about transitioning from pharmacy to data management, and the challenges and opportunities of scaling his work from SWB across the region more widely.

Q: Can you briefly run us through your career so far and how you came to work at SWB?

PJ: I began my career in clinical trials back in 2012, when I moved from main pharmacy into clinical trials pharmacy. At first, I wasn’t quite sure – clinical trials is a niche field – but after speaking with the team, I really liked the idea of being at the forefront of new medical treatments and I’ve never really looked back. The role provided a fantastic environment to build strong governance skills and develop a solid understanding of clinical trials, especially CTIMPs. Over the years, we started thinking about how to better monitor our performance and evolve our working practices. That led to the development of KPI monitoring and reporting tools, and eventually, Power BI dashboards.

From there, things really took off. During COVID, as many trials stopped, we took the opportunity to review our processes and developed innovative ways of reporting finance, which we showcased regionally and nationally. The natural next step for me was to expand that work beyond pharmacy and I briefly moved to Clinical Trials Facilitator, managing study set up.

However, my passion remained in systems and data to drive improvement. An opportunity came up to join SWB as the Research Systems and Data Officer, and it felt like a perfect fit – the role has given me the freedom to continue innovating, building real-time, practical tools to monitor and manage research activity. Ultimately, the aim is to help deliver research more effectively and efficiently, providing more opportunities for patients to access cutting-edge treatments and therapies.

Q: In your current role, what are some of the tasks and duties you’re involved in most frequently?

PJ: My core focus is on developing and maintaining data systems that support clinical research delivery. Building Power BI dashboards, working with data from EDGE, and transforming raw data into meaningful, real-time insights. These dashboards support a wide range of functions: monitoring study set-up; amendment workflows; tracking recruitment; governance; and research finance. Working with all teams engaged in research helps to ensure the data reflects their real-world processes and supports evidence-based decision making.

I am also currently leading a Black Country-wide initiative to scale our reporting platform across all local Trusts. I engage and support different teams across the patch – delivering training, understanding their unique working practices, and helping them embed use of the interactive reports they require. I’m also developing a shared governance framework for research data and reporting. Over the past eight months, we’ve made significant progress, developing a range of reports and working closely with stakeholders to create new processes, working instructions, and reporting methods where none previously existed. Much of this effort involves starting from scratch, which makes it a substantial undertaking.

The idea is that by sharing core elements across trusts, we can expand beyond the project’s initial scope to share best practice and continually evolve how we work. I’ve recently been asked to contribute to the national RDN working group on this.

Everything I do, whether locally at Sandwell or across the region, is geared toward building more efficient, transparent, and responsive systems improving how we deliver research. The ultimate goal is to make research more effective and accessible, offering more opportunities for patients to participate. This not only enhances patient care but also facilitates access to cutting-edge medical technologies, advancements, and treatments through research.

Q: Have you experienced any particular challenges in your role, and how have you overcome them?

PJ: One of the key challenges I’ve faced has been trying to implement new process and embed new systems approach. Whenever you’re introducing or integrating something new, it’s often difficult to showcase the benefits clearly.

Working across the wider region adds another layer of complexity as each Trust and site has its own nuances. The difficult part has been identifying how we develop a shared understanding of each process, how we can standardise core elements, and then how we embed that into working practice. I think we’ve made great strides – we’ve collaboratively identified where there are similarities in how we work and in key areas like finance, we’ve managed to create one shared core process.

Finally, ensuring our datasets are complete and accurate remains vital. We monitor data quality closely with a dedicated report and empower teams to manage their own data queries in real time, which helps spread workload and prevents data issues from building up.

Overall, data management in research is challenging, but through clear communication, collaboration, governance, and technical rigor, we are making meaningful progress, which is very rewarding.

Q: Collaboration seems central to your approach – how have you worked with clinicians, researchers and other colleagues to ensure your datasets and reports meet their needs?

PJ: Collaboration is key to all of the work we’ve done. We work closely with a wide range of stakeholders including clinicians, researchers, governance teams, delivery teams, support services, to develop systems and processes that enable them to carry out their usual working practices without adding extra burdens. The aim is to embed data collection naturally into their workflow so they don’t have to do additional data entry, while still providing relevant reports that deliver the insights they need in a format relevant to them.

Much of this work is done through close one-to-one collaboration – preferably in person because that’s how I truly understand what teams want and need. Regionally, across the Black Country, I engage regularly with governance facilitators, lead nurses, heads of research, finance teams, IT, BI teams, and information governance. For example, some reports have necessitated the need for submission of Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), so I ensure that all necessary teams are involved to support the longevity and smooth implementation of our project work. Embedding these processes at the trust level alongside other core services is crucial.

Take the finance teams, for example: we have worked closely with them on implementing a finance tool, uploading costing templates, recording finance data, and reporting it. The process is iterative, we develop the process, collect the data, produce the report, then refine it until it meets their needs.

I also attend specialty lead meetings when possible, providing report demos and updates, sharing the vision, and offering open access to certain principal investigators. Their feedback is invaluable and helps evolve the reports to deliver quicker and more relevant insights.

Without input from all stakeholders, the process simply couldn’t continue. Everyone plays a vital role in making the reports more relevant and ensuring we gain the insights needed for better evidence-based decisions.

Q: What advice would you give to someone weighing up their career options within clinical research?

PJ: For anyone looking to get into clinical research, I’d say it’s an amazing and exciting field. You’re truly at the cutting edge of medical technologies and treatments, contributing to innovations that can make a real difference in patient care.

That said, it’s also hard work. There’s a lot of vital work happening behind the scenes, teams working tirelessly to maintain studies, manage workloads, and keep everything running smoothly. But despite the challenges, it’s incredibly rewarding to be part of a culture and a team that’s driving advancements in healthcare.

Ultimately, the goal is to improve the experience and outcomes for patients across our trusts. Being able to contribute to that mission and see the tangible impact of your work is what makes clinical research so fulfilling.

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Attendees at the Clinical Academic Research Retreat 2025

Supporting clinicians to pursue research journey alongside clinical practice

Written by Louise Stanley on . Posted in Birmingham Health Partners.

Clinical academic trainees from across the West Midlands recently gathered in Birmingham to share their experiences and connect with peers for support in this challenging yet rewarding career pathway.

The participants, mostly academic resident doctors and dentists, were given protected time away from both their universities and clinical duties to reflect on their career aspirations and journey to date. The retreat programme included skills development workshops, along with guest speakers on topics of relevance to the future of clinical research such as AI and commercialisation.

The annual retreat is now in its third year and it continues to evolve and improve. This year for the first time, trainees from Aston University’s new NIHR Clinical Academic training programme were invited.

The event is a collaboration between BHP members the University of Birmingham and Aston University, working with regional partners the University of Warwick and Keele University – enabling attendees to learn from the experiences of peers at other institutions and to explore cross-institutional research collaborations. 

 Dr Angharad De Cates, NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in Psychiatry, University of Birmingham, said: “The ICAT retreat didn’t disappoint – it was a fantastic chance to catch up with existing colleagues and get to know new ones from other specialties and institutions. These events are particularly important for academic trainees like me who are in a specialty with relatively few others – supporting feelings of both inclusion and a sense of community.”

Highlights from the three days included a highly interactive session on clinical research career development this year, facilitated by Medical Leadership and Development Coach Alexis Hutson, sessions on industry engagement, inclusive research, public involvement and designing clinical trials.

Professor Kristien Boelaert, ICAT Academic Lead and Professor of Endocrinology, University of Birmingham, said: “We hope the attendees leave with new ideas and strategies to support their professional and personal development. All of the participants have extremely busy work lives, taking care of patients whilst at the same time advancing our understanding of how best to treat them. This is why carving out time to focus on how to get the most out of the clinical academic career pathway is so important, and prioritising time for learning and reflection opportunities, such as the retreat, can be so beneficial.”

Birmingham Health Partners offers a comprehensive suite of workforce education and training programmes aimed at facilitating increased opportunities for NHS workers to pursue a career in academic research. Our clinical academic training programmes also support the national agenda to increase the capability of non-medical professionals to contribute to the improvement of patient outcomes and innovations in healthcare.

Integrated clinic pilot shows potential to cut costs while improving care for children in deprived areas

Written by Louise Stanley on . Posted in Birmingham Health Partners, Health inequalities.

New research suggests that integrating health and early years support could ease pressure on NHS services while delivering better outcomes for families.

Undertaken by the Birmingham Health Partners (BHP) Evaluation Service, a detailed assessment of the Sparkbrook Children’s Zone (SCZ) in Birmingham found indications that integrating health care with early years and family support in deprived communities may be a cost-effective alternative to standard primary care.

The model-based economic analysis shows that children and young people accessing the SCZ clinic were less likely to attend A&E and require social care support compared to those receiving standard care, with an average cost saving per patient of £44 – achieved mainly by reducing referrals to children’s social care and emergency health services.

Sparkbrook, one of Birmingham’s most deprived neighbourhoods, is the first area to pilot this joined-up approach. The clinic brings together primary care, early years services, and family support under one roof, aiming to provide more holistic and preventative care.

Dr Mark Monahan, Lecturer in Health Economics at the University of Birmingham, explained: “Rising rates of child poverty, mental health issues and emergency hospital use show that our current systems aren’t working well enough for children and families in deprived areas. This pilot shows real promise in delivering better outcomes at lower cost, but we urgently need further evaluation to build the evidence base.”

The analysis showed a lower proportion of emergency department visits among SCZ patients (1.7%) compared to those in standard primary care (2.9%), driven by earlier intervention and integrated support, with SCZ patients were 40% less likely to attend A&E than those in standard care. This reduced reliance on emergency and social care services translated into significant potential savings, even with the limited data currently available. Early Help services embedded in the clinic were a key driver of cost-effectiveness by addressing complex family needs earlier.

While these findings are based on preliminary modelling, the results support NHS England’s ambition to develop more community-based, joined-up care models for children and young people.

The study also highlights the need for more robust and long-term data to support the national roll-out of similar models. It calls on policymakers, researchers and practitioners to work together to address evidence gaps and ensure these innovations are scalable, sustainable and capable of tackling entrenched health inequalities.

The Birmingham Health Partners Evaluation Service was established in 2022 to provide time-sensitive, formative evidence on innovations in healthcare and capacity building. It carries out rapid and effective service evaluations, often running in parallel with service implementation; helps spread learning to other sites; and helps build local capacity for in-house evaluations.