News tagged research and development

Durham Tees Valley Research Alliance has joined the fight against coronavirus by recruiting COVID-19 patients to participate in a ground-breaking new study.

Patients have been testing their own kidney function at home as part of a clinical study that could help revolutionise patient care. Renal patients at The James Cook University Hospital have been self-testing their own blood and urine samples using two hand held devices.

Academics and health professionals are combining their expertise to trial new technology which could speed up the diagnosis and treatment for thousands of hepatitis and HIV patients.

The Research and Innovation Team at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust recruited a record number of patients to take part in clinical trials last year. In 2017/18 the team recruited 3,758 patients to clinical research trials – a 9% increase on the previous year. The impressive figure places South Tees among the top 10% of all NHS trusts across the country when it comes to research recruitment.

Researchers in health and education are leading a new trial that aims to reduce patients’ dependency on strong pain killers. South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Warwick have developed a support programme that they hope will help people with long term pain reduce their dependency on opioids and improve their quality of life.

Patients’ involvement in a pioneering cancer trial at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have led to ‘practice changing’ results about how mesothelioma will be treated in the future.

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust continue to build on their successful record for patient-centred research, development and innovation by leading a pioneering trial which could, ultimately, be used as a first line to detect osteoporosis. In their latest partnership with IBEX Innovations Limited (IBEX), €1.6million has been secured from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme to investigate the effectiveness of their equipment, which can pick up bone density information alongside conventional X-ray images.

Trust apprentices celebrated success at the Health Education England North East Apprenticeship Awards – with one being named North East Apprentice of the Year. The awards were held during National Apprenticeship Week, which the Trust also participated in by celebrating previous apprentice successes and highlighting the ongoing hard work of our current apprentices.

A surgeon-led clinic for people with a neck lump and immediate access to CT scans are amongst the new developments at Teesside’s biggest hospital, which could help speed up the diagnosis of head and neck cancers. A wide variety of specialists including radiologists, pathologists, ear nose and throat specialists and the Oral MaxilloFacial specialists worked together on the potential solutions to provide access to quicker diagnosis and treatment during an innovative workshop at South Tees Institute of Learning, Research and Innovation (LRI), on The James Cook University Hospital site.

A massive “thank you” is being issued to 3,457 patients and more than 200 staff, after South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust enjoyed a record year in Research & Development. The year 2016 to 2017 became South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s most successful in R&D to date, as the Trust boasted a 17% increase in the number of patients taking part in clinical trials compared with the previous year.