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60 years of NHS research

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