The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust has successfully supported a bid to establish one of the UK’s new National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDCs) to expand access to innovative clinical trials and deliver life-changing treatments to some of the UK’s most underserved communities.
This transformative £7 million investment will establish the Central and Northwest Midlands (C&NWM) Commercial Research Delivery, hosted by Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust (BWC), working closely with regional partners Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and the Black Country Provider Collaborative.
The new CRDC will make it easier for individuals to take part in research trials for cutting-edge healthcare treatments, partnering with drug companies to deliver treatment trials in a safe and responsible way. The new centre will also work closely with local businesses, patient groups and charities to help it reach a broad range of communities, including those that haven’t taken part in research before.
Dr Gail Parsons, nurse consultant trauma and orthopaedics and director of research and innovation at The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust and associate professor of practice at Aston University, said: “This is excellent news for our local populations as well as the clinicians and academic experts who are involved in delivering research across the region.
“Opportunities for participants in research and innovations will be greatly enhanced, with the overall vision of improving health outcomes. Our collaboration with academic institutions will grow, ensuring expertise is utilised in formulating the very best of opportunities for our patients”
The C&NWM region, home to 4.2 million people, includes many of the UK’s most economically deprived communities who face significant health inequalities and higher rates of serious illness. The CRDC will focus on addressing these inequities by increasing access to clinical trials for patients who have the greatest need – dovetailing with Birmingham Health Partners’ strategic focus on addressing health inequalities and giving greater opportunities for residents to participate in research.
Professor Lorraine Harper, managing director of Birmingham Health Partners and director of the C&NWM CRDC, said: “This is an incredibly exciting opportunity to transform the health outcomes of our communities through world-class clinical research.
“By bringing together the expertise, resources, and passion of over 25 clinical and academic partners from across our region, we will create a thriving research ecosystem that not only delivers cutting-edge treatments but also makes clinical trials more accessible to all, including those in underserved populations.
“The NIHR’s investment will enable us to innovate and collaborate to improve healthcare in the Central and Northwest Midlands.”
Innovative approaches such as community-based trial locations, mobile research units, and digital technologies will ensure the CRDC reaches individuals who have never previously participated in research. Public involvement will be central to every stage of the Centre’s work, ensuring that its methods are inclusive, supportive, and effective in addressing local healthcare challenges.
Professor Lucy Chappell, chief executive officer of the NIHR and chief scientific adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care, said: “Clinical trials help improve lives. Boosting the NHS’s capacity to deliver commercial clinical research through these new Commercial Research Delivery Centres will support recruitment across all communities and bring innovative treatments to patients.
“The effects of these centres will be felt right across the four nations, bringing investment into the UK’s life sciences sector.”
