ROST

A key NIHR report has been released, on the learning gained from the delivery of the Panoramic trial during the Covid pandemic. ROST team members in the West Midlands played a key role, not only with the design, quality assurance and repeated updating of health Informatics to meet the requirements of delivering a platform trial, but also assisting with the testing and development of the Population Health Platform developed by NHS England which was used across the country alongside the PRIDES informatics tools developed within the West Midlands ROST service. Panoramic presented ROST team members with a great opportunity to showcase our locally developed skills to assist with the delivery of such an important trial and its great to see the PRIDES involvement mentioned glowingly within this report.

The latest update from CRN West Midlands ROST:

Delivery of the PRIDES Hub

ROST has reached an agreement to continue to deliver the PRIDES Hub through 2024/25. Delivery will remain in conjunction with LCRN South West Peninsula, and will be on a slightly reduced remit, as a step-down approach towards the current plans for the Hub to be disbanded in April 2025. Funding has been agreed for the first 6 months of the next financial year, up until the point of transition to RRDNs in October 2024, at which point a further review will take place to ensure that the Hub delivery can continue unchanged through to the end of 2023/24.

Delivery of the Find, Recruit & Follow-up wrap round service - new secondment 

ROST has also been successful through an application and interview process to deliver the Find, Recruit & Follow-up (FRF) wraparound service on a short term basis, initially for the remainder of this financial year (with the possibility of extension into 2024/25). This secondment is similar in activity to the PRIDES Hub, focusing on the roll-out of FRF to study support teams within LCRNs, plus any other early contact touch points with researchers. The initial 2 month period will focus on the development of resources that solidify the message behind the service, as well as planning future engagement with LCRN teams. This will aim to engage with the areas of a local network where knowledge of FRF is required moving forward.

The latest update from CRN West Midlands ROST:

• new team members and updates to the ROST request process

• new interactive infographic for workload management and request tracking

• PRIDES update - new and upcoming resources, progress of the use of SMS in research survey

• third-party DSP guidance

• guidance on patient record coding

• new code for dissent from research contact