As a local clinician, there are several ways in which you can get involved in research and innovation, from identifying potentially suitable patients to refer into studies, collecting study data and becoming a research hosting site. There are also CPD opportunities for those involved in some projects.

To discuss opportunities to become involved in research, email NCL’s research team at nclicb.research@nhs.net. 

Noclor (north and central London research consortium)

NCL ICB partners with Noclor to support research in mental health, primary care and community health. Noclor can help with research management and governance, and strive to ensure research is cost-neutral to practices and arrangements are in place to reimburse research-active practices for their time and resources. For clinicians with their own research ideas, Noclor may be able to help identify sources of support, such as training, mentorship and funding.
Noclor’s key activities include:

• managing the research governance process for studies
• supporting research site identification and recruitment
• advising researchers on funding opportunities
• costing research
• aligning research with local service priorities
• helping researchers develop their skills
• sharing good practice and maximising intelligence
• supporting commercial studies

For more information, email noclor.norththamescrn@nhs.net or call 020 3317 3045

NCL’s Research Engagement Network

The Research Engagement Network (REN) is a collaboration and strong partnership across ICS partners including our communities, Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE), academic and local authority partners.

NCL REN is part of a national programme with funding from NHS England to: 

• increase diversity of voice and participation in health research, with a focus on underserved communities
• build the foundations to explore how we can shape academic research opportunities with local communities
• build strong relationships between VCSE, local communities & academic partners 
• bringing health and wellbeing priorities and research together. 

The team have focussed on working with the most underserved communities, developing strong partnership working with local VCSE, building on existing community-based initiatives and setting the foundation of NCL’s REN by working together in a co-ordinated and collaborative way to drive further diversity, inclusivity, and representation of the local populations in health research. The team have also focused on sustainability, working in areas of high deprivation & committing to working with VCSE partners and communities over the long-term, building trusted relationships. By enhancing inclusion, research will be more fit for purpose and this will facilitate implementation and equity.

This programme delivers on the ambitions of the NCL ICB Population Health and Integrated Care Strategy which outlines the collective ambition to focus on health inequalities by listening to communities, working closely with voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations and academic colleagues, and becoming both an evidence-based and evidence-generating system, alongside meeting the new ICB duties on research.

The team are keen to build stronger relationships between the REN programme & partners and primary care, including supporting & facilitating primary care research.

Get in touch if you are keen to build closer ties with REN & explore working together at nclicb.research@nhs.net

Be Part of Research

Be Part of Research is a free service which makes it easy to find and take part in vital health and care research across the UK.

The website contains information for health and care professionals on how to talk to your patients about research, where to find suitable research studies, support in addressing concerns about confidentiality and handling patient data, and links to further resources. 

National Contract Value Review

The national contract value review (NCVR) is a standardised, national approach to costing for commercial contract research. NCVR is being rolled out in stages and is currently optional for commercial studies taking place outside of NHS hospitals, for example in GP practices. However, work is underway to bring the full benefits of NCVR to primary care and GPs can register themselves as voluntarily committing to accepting NCVR prices and stopping local negotiations.
Commercial sponsors can now consult the list of GPs accepting NCVR prices when making their site selection decisions. This list is accessed via a dedicated NCVR Primary Care dashboard.

Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership

The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) is an independent organisation led by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, The Royal College of Nursing and National Voices.