The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust 

Commercial Capabilities

SPECIALIST SERVICES

• Cardiology - The Trusts Heart and lung centre is one of four cardiac tertiary centres for the West Midlands

• Largest cardiac surgery programme in West Midlands

• One of the largest service heart attack centre in Midlands; approx. 700 STEMIs a year. 

• Specialists in coronary physiology and complex pacing 

• Currently running the longest standing TAVI research programme

• Gastroenterology - Research active specialism with access to two endoscopy suites covering 2 sites 

• Long track history of over recruitment to IBD studies and other sub specialties

• High recruitment to large data driven studies and the home of the sitting British Society Gastroenterology President

• Oncology - Perform various Molecular Radiotherapy (MRT) in collaboration with medical physics including thyroid ablation therapy, treatment of benign thyroid disease and 223Radium therapy for bone only disease in mCRPC

• Radiotherapy - treatment across all body sites; Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy / RapidArc treatment / Image Guided Radiotherapy. Breast radiotherapy offered with use of DIBH (Deep Inspiration Breath Hold) and with use of Gating (Specialist breath hold technology not used anywhere else in midlands yet which is more precise than voluntary DIBH)

• SABR radiotherapy treatment - Stereotactic Ablation Radiotherapy - cutting edge technology offered for radical lung as well as oligomets to lung / bone / nodes and non spine with hopes to offer spine later in the year

• Specialist Brachytherapy service - Internal radiotherapy offered to allow higher doses of radiation to specific sites of the body and to reduce dose and toxicity to healthy tissue

• Renal - large population of renal patients (421 HD, 57 PD, 290 transplant, 300 low clearance patients)

• Up to date electronic database system to identify potential research participants from 5 separate HD units

• Experienced clinicians in HD, PD, transplant, CKD in all stages, palliative care, genetic/inheritable renal diseases, renal vasculitides, dialysis access, body composition, AKI, RARA/genetic disease

• Development of a new transplant role, new dialysis centre and an increase of home therapy patients

• Diabetes - MDT clinics with Renal, Vascular, Paediatrics, Rheumatology and Bariatrics (Tier 3 and Tier 4) and proposed MDTs with Cardiology and heart failure

• RWT diabetic patients are one of the largest Pump cohorts in the region; with a growing population on sensor augmented pump therapy

• The high risk foot clinics - The clinics have a wide patient catchment and, with co-working with podiatry + community podiatry colleagues, gives any future research a wide access to patients from both domiciliary (at home) and clinics at New Cross

• Haematology - Current population covered is 750,000 with specialist expertise in Myeloma/ Lymphoma/ leukemia/ MPD/ Sickle cell anemia/ Thrombosis haemostasis

• Ophthalmology - well established macula and diabetic screening service 

• Primary Care Virtual Integrated Practice ( VIP) have access to over 50K patients. The RWT Primary Care Network have a researcher in physiotherapy aligned to the practices

SPECIALIST FACILITIES

• Nine General Practices (virtual integrated practices) with access to over 50K patients

• Host the Black Country Pathology site ; and thus as an R+D department we have access to all the services offered to the region within the hospital site

• The diabetes team are developing a virtual award approach to complex care diabetes

SPECIALIST EQUIPMENT

• The diabetic team have a body composition analyser and access to POCT HbA1c testing 

• The high risk foot service will soon be utilising the upcoming technology use of 3D Silhouette cameras

• Obstetric ultrasound machines

• Fetal heart rate monitoring

• Bioimpedance machines

• For Gastroenterology studies we offer HALO, spyglass ERCP and are an endoscopy academy training centre

• Rheumatology ultrasound and bone densitometry

• Radiotherapy services -Specialist skin cancer service - DXR/SXR - XTRAHL machine

• The R&D department have several centrifuges , fridges that have temperature monitoring as well as a minus 20 and minus 80 freezers

• The Trusts has two locations (New Cross and Cannock Hospital) with laboratory equipment at both sites

CHIEF INVESTIGATOR/PRINCIPAL  INVESTIGATOR EXPERTISE

• Cardiology - CI expertise and very high number of research active cardiology consultants who have recruited more than other 3 tiertary centres in the region to research

• Rheumatology

• Ophthalmology

• Haematology

• Oncology

• Gastroenterology - Extensive PI/CI experience including Hepatobiliary, Hepatology, IBD, iron deficinecy anaemia and use of big data.

• Obstetrics - CI exertise in phase 2&3 studies. Specialist expertise in epidemiology anaemia, diabetes, obstetric therapeutics for hypertension, obstetric urogynaecology and other diseases

• Currently are working on iron metabolism basic science in conjunction with UoW and also inflammation

• The Obstetrics team are active in PPI work and have collaborated with others to provide comprehensive PPI views of research as well as developing their own portfolio of studies

All CI's are active PI's for other studies in their specialist areas

• Respiratory

• ICCU

• Renal

• Stroke

• Surgery

• Dermatology

• Obesity

• T2DM

• Diabetes - Diabetic Antenatal Care, General Diabetes and newer Treatments in diabetes, thyroid and Adrenal diabetes

• The diabetic research team part of the world leading research groups in the glycation gap in diabetes

• Gynaecology 

• Primary Care

• Hepatobiliary 

• Hepatology

• IBD

• Iron deficinecy anaemia and use of big data

AREAS KEEN TO GROW

• Diabetes would like to grow research in technology in the diabetic management of patients 

• Primary Care are keen to develop AHP and pharmacist researchers and projects

• Haematology would like to grow the portfolio of research studies for all sub-specialities

• Obstetrics are currently exploring extending our research into the area of vaccines for GBS (Group B Streptococcus)

• Renal would like to participate in research that impacts on patient pathway/experience, patient reported outcomes and service improvement in transition care (when patient moves from different renal replacement modalities)

RECRUITMENT ACHIEVEMENTS 

• Oncology recruited first global patient to the commercial PROTEUS study

• Obstetrics recruited first UK patient to non commercial PANDA study

• Rheumatology - top recruiter for many studies

OTHER KEY INFORMATION

• We aim to issue confirmation of site capacity and capability within 8 weeks of receipt of a complete and accurate local information pack from the sponsor

• We work to the timelines of enteries into CRF within five working days from study visit

• Our staff are competent in using an array of databases including RED CAP, Mediata RAVE, Inform, Open clinica, Macro and pharma specific databases

Research 

Team