Chinwag

Corporate news

Dressed is best We were pleased to launch our ‘Dressed is Best’ campaign in July. The aim is to prevent hospital deconditioning, which is a loss in function, loss of muscle strength and cognitive decline. This can be caused by prolonged periods of inactivity or bed rest. This can subsequently have a negative impact on the patient’s mood, length of stay in hospital and put the individual at risk of developing complications, such as falls, pressure sores or chest infections. During their hospital stay, patients can very quickly become isolated and their participation in activities reduces. To support this campaign, Angela Earnshaw, occupational therapy student and Amy Hurlston, occupational therapy assistant, designed a quiz which was delivered on ward 11, both in a group setting and on an individual basis. The therapeutic aim for the Research boost The number of clinical trials that are recruiting patients at The Christie has jumped by 11 per cent in the last year. Figures published by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) show that we recruited to 214 studies in the year ending in March 2018, compared with 193 the previous year. The figures show that the number of participants recruited to trials in the past year was 1,809, which is 31 per cent higher than the target set for The Christie

patients is to keep their minds and bodies active and increase their socialisation, which can have a positive impact on their well-being. The quiz was well received and the plan is now to roll this activity out to other wards on a monthly basis.

by the Clinical Research Network (CRN), the NHS organisation that coordinates and supports research. The NIHR figures show that The Christie remains one of the most active NHS clinical research organisations in the UK. It is ranked in the top five per cent in the NIHR’s national 2017-18 research activity league table, which measures the number of NIHR-supported studies that trusts undertake. The league table consists of 450 NHS organisations, though not all conduct research. The Christie is ranked 10th of all the trusts in England for its commercial research activity. It supported 89 commercial research studies, an increase of 22 per cent on the 73 studies it supported in 2016-17 – the fifth best increase in the country. Professor John Radford, Professor of Medical Oncology and Director of Research at The Christie, said: “We’re very pleased that these figures acknowledge that we have an extremely vibrant research culture and that we’re offering patients more opportunities to take part in trials. “These studies not only have the potential for improving outcomes for those patients taking part, they also enrich our understanding of cancer and benefit patients in the future.”

The Christie remains one of the most active NHS clinical research organisations in the NHS

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