Government Announces Elements of New R&D Strategy for NHS

Early announcement of some of the key elements of the new R&D strategy for the NHS.

The Chancellor, Gordon Brown, and the Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, have agreed to the early announcement of some of the key elements of the new R&D Strategy for the NHS, 'Best Research for Best Health':

The Strategy, which the Government is committed to supporting, includes: 

• The establishment of a new National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to join up the existing institutions and efforts within the broader NHS and new support for medical research centres of excellence.
  
  
• Developing capability within the NHS National IT System to facilitate (strictly within the bounds of patient confidentiality) the recruitment of patients to clinical trials and the gathering of data to support work on population health/health interventions.
  
  
• A single, IT-based data portal to streamline regulatory and approval procedures so that researchers only input data once.
  
  
• Rationalising NHS Trust R&D regulatory approvals and permissions through introduction of a standard R&D application form and a single “Lead” Trust R&D sign-off for multi-site trials
  
  
• Support for clinical academic careers, creating around 250 Academic Clinical Fellowships and 100 Clinical Lectureship training opportunities per year.

Access the full text of the press release from the HM Treasury website at: 
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/newsroom_and_speeches/press/2005/press_100_05.cfm