Our team
The Research department is responsible for the management, support and leadership of all aspects of research across the Trust and performs a variety of roles and functions to drive and deliver clinical research in a supportive and safe environment. Led by our Director of Research, Professor Mark Johnson, we drive strategic initiatives to help embed research in clinical pathways, whilst fostering a high value research-active culture in order to lead and grow research, improve research impact and build quality evidence for health and care.
The Research Department at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is made up of the following teams:
Research Operations Team
This is the central research office which acts as the hub or first port of call for research activity in the Trust. The Research Operations Team plays a key role in building key relationships both within the trust and externally, by supporting researchers, promoting research activity with staff, patient and public involvement, and reporting performance to the Trust board and stakeholders.
The Research Operations Team works closely with researchers, who may be part of research delivery teams within the wider Research department or embedded in clinical areas and academic partners. They also work with many external partners such as commercial companies, grant awarding bodies and academic institutions, and keep oversight of all research finance, training and contracts including HR arrangements for researchers who are external to the organisation.
When the trust is sponsoring a study, the Research Operations Team will usually perform the sponsor’s function and will support the set up and good management of the study, assuring its regulatory compliance, quality, safety and integrity.
To find out more about the Research Operations Team and how they can support your research ambitions, email us on chelwest.research@nhs.net.
Further resources
- NHS R&D Forum and resources
- Adding value to the NHS, Health & Care—the R&D Functions Wheel
- Research for All and Case studies
- UK Research Leaders in R&D (UKRD)
Research Delivery Team
The Research Delivery Team is the team who undertakes the research itself. Staff include clinical research nurses, midwives and practitioners, data managers, research fellows, clinicians and administrative support. Some are full time research staff or front line staff who have some of their time allocated to undertaking research.
Staff are trained in all aspects of patient screening and recruitment and support patients and researchers to deliver research according to the protocol. They will carry out clinical tests, interviews and collect data required to answer the research question and act as the research participants’ advocate whilst they are on the study.
Our Research Delivery Team at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is comprised of dynamic and diverse multi-disciplinary professional members dispersed across the trust’s sites at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, West Middlesex University Hospital and our own Clinical Research Facility at St. Stephen’s Centre.
To find out more about research and how you can get involved email us on chelwest.research@nhs.net.