Local health trusts’ research teams awarded for joint COVID work

16 December 2020

Research teams from The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust, and Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have been recognised for their collaborative work on a national Covid-19 study and West Midlands commercial COVID-19 Novavax vaccine trial.

The award from the Clinical Research Network West Midlands (CRN) is for the trusts’ joint efforts to support the Public Health England study called SIREN and Novavax vaccine trial. The SIREN study is looking at whether healthcare workers who are identified as having previously had COVID-19, detected by positive antibody tests, compared to those who do not have evidence of infection, are protected from future episodes of infection.

The findings from the year-long study will be used to help understand the future impact of COVID-19 on the population.

Mandy Carnahan, Lead Research Nurse at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: “We are proud to be part of this unique collaborative approach with 570 staff now recruited to the study. This achievement has been possible by the willingness of the research staff but also staff who have given up their time to participate in this important trial.”

Dave Evans, Joint Accountable Officer at Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin CCGs, said: “This is great recognition for the teams and for the NHS staff who are giving up their time to take part in this research to benefit patients. Well done and thank you to everyone involved.”

Dr Jane Povey, Medical Director at Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust, said: “One thing the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us is that we cannot beat it unless we all work together. Our research teams have demonstrated just this, by joining together to implement this important study across the four trusts. We are delighted that their hard work has been formally recognised by the presentation of this prestigious award.”

Ruth Lambley-Burke, Head of Research & Innovation and Senior Manager Medical Directorate at Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are proud to be working in partnership on this important research and thrilled that our work on the Novavax COVID-19 study, and support to the SIREN project has been recognised by the CRN West Midlands.”

Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust recruited 538 healthy volunteers to the Novavax vaccine study.

Ruth Longfellow, Consultant Anaesthetist and Associate Medical Director, and Teresa Jones, Research Manager at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, said: “The SIREN Study has been a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate how, across our local health system, we can all work together incredibly effectively to achieve the same common goal – and this award is absolutely testament to that.

“We’re proud of everybody from across the health and care system who has worked hard on the SIREN Study and we look forward to working together to deliver more studies in the future.”

Since the SIREN study started in September this year, 570 patient facing staff from across the trusts have volunteered to take part, including doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and support staff.