Report says that “future clinical research is under threat due to a clearly documented decline in clinical research staff, both in absolute numbers and – more strikingly – in proportion to the expanding NHS workforce”
The report published in January calls for action to address the decline in the number or clinical researchers over recent decades. A number of suggested measures are outlined, including:
- establishing a national clinical research career framework
- enabling more flexible training pathways
- encouraging leaders and mentors
- ensuring more equitable pay and opportunities
Clinically trained research staff include a wide range of professionals, including medical, dental, public health, nursing and midwives, who carry out research as part of their professional role. The decline in numbers has negative impacts for the NHS and the UK’s economy. Amongst other benefits the report highlights that every £1 invested in medical research delivers a further 25p return for every year thereafter.
The report calls for several small interventions, rather than major new investment, that are designed to have the greatest impact and build sustainable change.
- establish a common national clinical research career framework to train clinical researchers capable of competing on an international stage
- ensure the national training pathway is flexible and fast to provide multiple entry-exit routes to training and more flexible timescales
- visible leadership and mentorship delivered by established researchers to inspire the next generation of clinical researchers from an early age
- equitable rates of pay and pay opportunities, establishing transparency for salary progression based on delivery of excellent research
- robust context-specific performance evaluation
- effective monitoring of the impact of these actions
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care and Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Health and Care Research, said:
“Clinical researchers are essential for delivering high quality research and developing the evidence base to drive innovation and improvements in patient care. This report provides important insights into the opportunities and challenges facing the clinical research workforce.
By working together with others across the system to act on the key recommendations outlined in the report, we can attract, train and support outstanding clinical researchers to build upon the UK’s track record of scientific excellence, drive innovation across the health and care system and deliver improved health outcomes for all.”
Professor Patrick Chinnery, Chair of the Task and Finish Group and Executive Chair of the Medical Research Council (MRC), said:
“Clinical research drives innovation to deliver better health outcomes for all and make the NHS more sustainable. This report sets out the urgency in reversing the well-documented decline in clinical researchers and proposes solutions to maintain the UK’s position as a global leader in the life sciences sector.
Coordinated steps across government and other key stakeholders are now vital to implement all the recommendations in this report. The MRC is already working with major funders to implement its actions.”
The report was commissioned by the Office for the Strategic Coordination of Health Research (OSCHR) and published by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The current report focuses on certain medically qualified researchers but a second report on nurses, midwives and allied health professionals will follow soon.
The UKRI announcement of the report can be read on their website: Report calls for action to tackle decline in clinical researchers
The full report can be read here: Clinical researchers in the UK: reversing the decline – UKRI
Image: Alex Green