Innovation and Improvement 

The Winner of the Celebration Award 2023 for 'Innovation and Improvement' is:

The Research Team at Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT)

The NSFT research team recognised the need to build a strategic partnership between the local higher educational institute mental health nursing course and the research department in the Trust.

They developed an initiative to bring together students seeking subjects for their dissertation projects, with areas of clinical need that had been identified in the Trust for more exploration, or where there was a gap in the evidence. This involvement has meant that they have been able to offer student nurses opportunities to be involved in meaningful research projects.

Congratulations to the team!

Research Volunteer

The Winners of the Celebration Award 2023 for 'Research Volunteer' are:

David Smith and Ron Flewett at Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (RPH)

Ron Flewett has been a patient at RPH since 2013 which led to him being a part of the Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement group. He has taken part in several clinical trials and is a volunteer for several other health related support groups.

Ron attends PPIE groups, focus groups and CRN development sessions. Ron also helps to promote research on stands in the atrium at events.

David Smith has been a patient at RPH since 2010, which led to him joining the Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement group. 

Over the years, David has taken part in research trials related to atrial fibrillation, has spoken at a research symposium regarding his role as a Patient Research Ambassador, attends regular PPIE and focus groups, reviews documents and attends CRN development sessions and promotes research in the hospital’s atrium.

Congratulations David and Ron!

Inclusive Working

The Winners of the Celebration Award 2023 for 'Inclusive Working' are:

The Rheumatology Research Unit at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) and the Rheumatology Research Team at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT)

The Cambridge team have been working on studies that recognise how different conditions in Rheumatology can affect and respond to treatments in patients from varying ethnic backgrounds. 

The team have initiated an inclusion audit to evaluate recruitment of patients to identify areas that are particularly underrepresented. They are working to open outreach clinics in these areas of need with a view to recruiting more to the NIHR portfolio studies. 

They have developed a system that offers small diverse teams of multilingual staff, ensuring patients feel comfortable with the care provided and safe in the research environment. 

The Rheumatology Team at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust are described as a “remarkably resilient, versatile, and creative team”. They are diverse in membership, with different ethnicities, cultural and clinical backgrounds, disciplines, roles and levels of seniority and experience represented within their team. 

They are a great example of a team working together across different backgrounds and bringing people and projects together, with inclusive working at the forefront of what they do.

Congratulations to both teams!

Wellbeing

The Winner of the Celebration Award 2023 for 'Wellbeing' is:

Susie O'Sullivan at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (NWAngliaFT)

As a delivery team manager, Susie provides the organisational scaffolding for her team, from overseeing the bigger strategic picture to building team relationships, she has the care and empathy to effectively manage whilst allowing staff to have the power to control their own day-to-day tasks.  

Under her leadership her team have delivered much improved NIHR portfolio recruitment numbers. With her guidance and development her staff have been able take part in Trust wide and divisional events, promoting research to a wider audience.  

Congratulations Susie!

Breaking Boundaries

The Winner of the Celebration Award 2023 for 'Breaking Boundaries' is:

The Paediatric Research Team at James Paget University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (JPUH)

Paediatric research at the James Paget University Hospital has gone from strength to strength and this is all down to a committed and dedicated team.  

They have broken lots of boundaries over the last few years, including playing a key role in a European trial aimed at countering life-threatening peanut allergies in children, and from the results of this, being one of the first sites in the UK to offer a newly approved drug.

More recently the team were featured on television to promote Harmonie, the vaccine study for RSV prevention in babies. The team continually strives to find innovative ways of engaging and collaborating with patients and the public.

Congratulations to the team!

Unsung Hero

The Winner of the Celebration Award 2023 for 'Unsung Hero' is:

Sarah Bailey at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NNUH)

Sarah has worked hard to produce a radiotherapy report on the NIHR Open Data Platform for all radiotherapy studies that are open at radiotherapy centres within the East of England Radiotherapy Network.

This report allows colleagues from across the region to look for open trials via body site or department. It also provides recruitment figures for radiotherapy studies. This is useful for being able to baseline radiotherapy trials activity and monitor the impact of any of the improvements the radiotherapy teams are making in order to increase recruitment to clinical trials. 

Sarah is very passionate about ensuring the patients within the network are offered access to appropriate radiotherapy clinical trials.

Congratulations Sarah!

Putting People First

The Winner of the Celebration Award 2023 for 'Putting People First' is:

Paula Turnbull at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH)

Paula is the Senior Clinical Trials Coordinator for Ophthalmology studies at the Cambridge Eye Research Centre. Due largely to her drive, and personable interaction with patients and staff, she has been a big factor behind the growth of the Ophthalmology NIHR portfolio from one study in 2018 to fifteen active trials, and five in set-up today.

Almost all the patients thank the research team and Paula in particular for being as flexible and thoughtful as possible. 

Congratulations Paula!

Research Inspiration

The Winner of the Celebration Award 2023 for 'Research Inspiration' is:

Rebekah Girling at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NNUH)

Rebekah is the Imaging Research Lead Radiographer at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals and has worked in research for ten years. She is at the helm of the Trust’s imaging research team, which includes Research Radiographers from core modalities of CT, MRI and X-Ray. Together they have supported and facilitated over 150 trials on the NIHR portfolio and commercial studies. 

Rebekah is described as having “tireless dedication” and as lead for the division of clinical support services, has continually promoted opportunity for non-medics and allied health professionals to get involved in research.

Congratulations Rebekah!