Nurses at Wye Valley NHS Trust are supporting “It’s OK to ask’ – a campaign encouraging patients to ask their family doctor, nurse or consultant about clinical research.

“It’s OK to ask” is led by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and is celebrated on International Clinical Trials Day, May 20, which commemorates the anniversary of the very first clinical trial by James Lind on the disease scurvy.

To mark the event research nurses at Wye Valley NHS Trust held an information stand today, May 20, at Hereford County Hospital, to raise awareness of the importance of research to health care.

Emma Rowan, research manager for Wye Valley NHS Trust, said: “We are very pleased to have welcomed more than 300 Herefordshire patients who have volunteered to take part in clinical trials in the last 12 months.

“We are encouraging patients that “It’s OK to ask” about clinical research and how to get involved in trials that are taking place.

“Clinical research is helping to improve treatments for patients across the NHS and is making a difference for many people who have a health condition or illness.  The research enables doctors and nurses to gather evidence about new treatments in order to improve care and treatment.

“We work very closely with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) who assist us in running new research studies locally and provide funding for dedicated research nurses in our hospital”.

The Trust recently won cancer research team of the year award from the NIHR Clinical Research Network: West Midlands.  The Trust’s efforts to promote and embed research within the organisation have also been recognised by the Chief Executive of the Clinical Research Network.

Fiona Price, research nurse at Wye Valley NHS Trust, added: “We talk to patients about clinical research and what is involved, such as attending focus groups or completing a questionnaire.  It could also include testing a new treatment or helping us to gather information about your existing treatment.

“The experience of patients currently receiving care and treatment in the areas we are undertaking research is invaluable, in order to help us gain this important research.

“We are committed to supporting research to provide the very best patient care and develop new treatments to benefit out patients locally and across the country”.

If you are a patient and would like to find out about taking part in clinical research at Wye Valley NHS Trust, please ask the Trust clinician treating you when you next visit the hospital.  Information about Trust research is also available by visiting www.wyevalley.nhs.uk (click on services and research) or email clinical.trials@wvt.nhs.uk

Photograph

Wye Valley NHS Trust research team pictured at the Hereford County Hospital research information stand.

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Note to editors:

• Wye Valley NHS Trust is the provider health services across Herefordshire and beyond. The Trust exists to improve the wellbeing, independence and health of the people we serve. We are the leading provider of health care in Herefordshire.
• By working closely with our partners, we can make good our promise to deliver a quality of care we would want for ourselves, our families and our friends.
• With an estimated annual turnover of around £160 million, we employ around 2,700 plus staff. We aim to build new relationships between our staff, patients, service users and their carers with the wider community.For further information please contact:

For further information please contact:
John Burnett, Communication and Engagement Manager, Wye Valley NHS Trust: 01432 372928 or Fiona Gurney, Communications Officer 01432 355444  ext. 5105.