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Devoted Teesside nurse takes on new role to help improve research opportunities across the region  

Published: December 20, 2024 in Research

Nicky Cunningham, regional research setting lead

A devoted nurse from Teesside is helping to shape the future of UK healthcare research after landing a prestigious new role.  

Nicky Cunningham, from South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been appointed as the regional research setting lead for all hospitals across the North East and North Cumbria.  

She will be working for the National Institute for Health and Care Research Regional Research Delivery Network (NIHR RRDN). Supporting hospitals to give people across the region more opportunities to be part of research when receiving care in hospital.  

Nicky started her research career at South Tees Hospitals over 25 years ago and is currently the lead nurse for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals (NMAHP) research at the trust. She will start her new regional lead position for the NIHR RRDN in February next year which will run alongside her current role.  

She said: “I am over the moon to have been selected to represent research across North East and North Cumbria.  

“The hospitals in our region are already delivering excellent research opportunities to patients across our hospitals but with a high percentage of disease in our area, there is still more work to be done.

In my new role I will be working alongside fellow research leads across the UK who will be sharing and learning from each other to ensure that as a network we are providing better research opportunities to patients across England.” 

Providing better access to health and care research

The NIHR’s regional research delivery network (RRDN) was launched back in October this year and aims to build upon the success of the Clinical Research Network (CRN).  

It consists of one coordinating centre and 12 regional research delivery networks, each of which consists of four individual setting leads.  

Alongside Nicky’s position as regional lead for hospitals, each network will also have a lead for community, primary-care and residential settings.  

Each lead is responsible for providing leadership and advice, supporting research delivery and participating in regional and national projects relating to their individual settings capacity, capability and accessibility for research delivery.  

The aim of the network is to provide a vital link between regional and national networks and Nicky hopes within her role, she will be able to encourage research to become a routine part of care so that more people can access a wider range of health and social care research from where they live. 

Sharon Dorgan, health and care director for the NIHR North East and North Cumbria Regional Research Delivery Network, said:

We are looking forward to working with Nicky and the other new settings leads, who will provide leadership and advice, support research delivery, and participate in regional and national projects for their setting."