Regional Research Delivery Networks (RRDNs) Transition
The NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) is being established in April 2024 to build on the success of the current Clinical Research Network (CRN). The NIHR RDN will operate as one organisation across England, through a network of 12 Regional Research Delivery Networks (RRDNs) and a central Coordinating Centre (RDNCC). The RDNCC service will commence in April 2024 and the RRDNs in October 2024.
This page covers the role and geographies of the RRDNs, as well as the work currently being undertaken to transition from 15 Local Clinical Research Networks (LCRNs) to 12 RRDNs.
Purpose of the RRDNs
The 12 NIHR Regional Research Delivery Networks (RRDNs) will have three key roles.
To provide support to research sites to enable the effective and efficient initiation and delivery of funded research across the health and care system in England.
To enable the strategic development of new and more effective research delivery capability and capacity. This will include bringing research to under-served regions and communities with major health and care needs.
To work jointly with the Coordinating Centre in the strategic oversight of the NIHR RDN. This will ensure that the Portfolio is maintained as a cohort of high-quality, fully-funded, viable and deliverable studies. It will also ensure that the NIHR RDN as a whole serves the needs of researchers and R&D teams and is responsive to the changing domestic and global environment for health and care, life sciences and health research.
NIHR RRDNs will need to develop excellent relationships with the organisations commissioning and providing health and social care across their regions, which are mapped onto NHS regions and integrated care systems. They will help support research undertaken by those providers and at sites across the region, and promote research meeting the needs of local populations. NIHR RRDNs will work together with an RDN national Coordinating Centre to support health and care research for the benefit of patients, the health and care system and the economy as a whole.
Geographic configuration of the RRDNs
There are 12 Regional Research Delivery Networks (RRDNS) with footprints within the 7 NHSE regions.
Geography of the new RRDNs (slides) provides more information.
The 12 RRDN regions (pictured above) are:
A. North East and Cumbria
B. Yorkshire and Humber
C. North West
D. East Midlands
E. West Midlands
F. East of England
G. North London
H. South London
I. South Central
J. South East
K. South West Central
L. South West Peninsula
RRDN Host Organisations
An open competition to select Host Organisations for the new RRDNs ran between Oct 2022 and Mar 2023. Hosts were selected by April 2023 and these were publicly announced by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in November 2023. Read the slides from the CRN wide meeting (13 November 2023) including the RDNCC and RRDN Host Organisation information.
North East and North Cumbria - hosted by The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - Morag Burton, RRDN Director; Chris Speed, Operations Director; Lauren Tough, RRDN Strategic Development Director; Sharon Dorgan, RRDN Health & Care Research Director (NMAHP)
Yorkshire and Humber - hosted by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust - Amber O'Malley, RRDN Director; Fiona Halstead, RRDN Strategic Development Director; Alistair Hall, RRDN Health & Care Research Director (Medical); Gail Mills, RRDN Health & Care Research Director (NMAHP)
North West - hosted by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust - Andy Ustianowski, RRDN Director; Chris Smith, RRDN Operations Director; Martin Gibson, RRDN Health & Care Research Director (Medical); Janette Dunkerley, RRDN Health & Care Research Director (NMAHP)
East Midlands - hosted by University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust - Elizabeth Moss, RRDN Director; Daniel Kumar, RRDN Operations Director; Kaatje Lomme, RRDN Strategic Development Director; Azhar Farooqi, RRDN Health & Care Research Director (Medical)
West Midlands - hosted by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust - Matt Brookes, RRDN Director; Pam Devall, RRDN Operations Director; Carly Craddock, RRDN Strategic Development Director; David Shukla and Tom Pinkney, RRDN Health & Care Research Directors (Medical), Gwen Wynne-Jones, RRDN H&C Research Director (NMAHP)
East of England - hosted by Norfolk and Norwich University NHS Foundation Trust - Helen Macdonald, RRDN Director; Effrossyni Gkrania-Klotsas, RRDN Health & Care Research Director (Medical)
North London - hosted by Barts Health NHS Trust - Sharon Barrett, RRDN Director; Kylie Gyertson, RRDN Operations Director; Regimantas Pestininkas, RRDN Strategic Development Director; Kieran McCafferty, RRDN Health & Care Research Directors (Medical); Christine Adamson, RRDN Health & Care Research Director (NMAHP)
South London - hosted by Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust - James Lyddiard, RRDN Director; Dawn Beaumont-Jewell, RRDN Strategic Development Director; Kosh Agarwal and Andy Shennan, RRDN Health & Care Research Directors (Medical); Clair Harris and Laura McCabe, RRDN H&C Research Directors (NMAHP)
South Central - hosted by University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust - Clare Rook, RRDN Director
South East - hosted by Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust - Stephen Barnett, RRDN Director; Jo Zamani, RRDN Operations Director; Julia Simister, RRDN Strategic Development Director
South West Central - hosted by University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust - Kyla Thomas, RRDN Director; Stephen McGlynn, RRDN Operations Director; Ifan Jones, RRDN Strategic Development Director
South West Peninsula - hosted by Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust - To be announced
RDN Service Design
RDN Service Design work will determine how all the RRDN services and functions will be delivered, working jointly with the RDNCC. The outputs of this work will ultimately define the RDN Services at a high level including what each service is, who the customers are, and other key elements of delivery including staff and roles. This detail will be provided to RRDN Host Organisations in February 2024 (edit: amended from January 2024 on 31/01/2024) so that they can develop their implementation plans and staffing structures. More detailed timelines for the Service design process are available in this slide set:
It is anticipated that around 300 representatives from across all roles and grades in the CRN will be involved in Phase 1 activities to help ensure the knowledge and experience that is held by existing CRN staff informs and shapes the RDN services. Further opportunities for involvement will follow in Phases 2 and 3.
Questions
Questions previously included on the RRDN Questions & Answers page have been incorporated in the RDN Questions and Answers page.
If you have further questions related to the RRDNs please use this Google form. If your questions are specifically transition/HR related, please liaise with your line manager and/or relevant employing organisation.
More information
The RDN Supporting Information page provides general supporting information relating to the RDN Transition and Transformation such as the service specifications and fact sheets.