ICBs should be offering research opportunities to patients across all pathways, according to a paper presented to NHS England’s board.
The paper said ICBs should ‘consider’ their offer across all pathways and that it was ‘vital’ that patients can get access to research in primary care services.
It suggested that there were only five ICBs that had currently published a research strategy, despite NHS England recommending last year that each system develops this and has a board representative responsible for research.
Healthcare Leader understands that the ICBs referenced are:
• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
• Norfolk and Waveney
• Lincolnshire (draft is published)
• Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent
• South Yorkshire.
The paper, written by national director for transformation, Vin Diwakar, and presented to the NHS England board on 16 May, added that just 3% of GP practices currently undertake commercial clinical trials, but that NHS England should be ‘ambitious’ in their expectations to increase this number and embed research into everyday care.
It also said community pharmacy has a role to play in the delivery of clinical trials, and that NHS England should better work with the sector to understand the role they can play in this.
It said: ‘As the focus of delivery of services shifts from secondary care to local communities it is vital that patients can get access to research in primary care services and ICBs must consider their research offer to patients across all pathways.
‘There are only a small number (approximately 3%) of GP practices that undertake commercial research and we should be ambitious in our expectations to increase this number as well as working with community pharmacy to understand better the role they can play in delivery of clinical trials.’
It added that NHS England was considering incentivising activity in research.
It said: ‘NHS England does not currently directly incentivise activity in research. There is the potential to work with DHSC/NIHR to consider how we might do this and discuss if NIHR financial incentives should be introduced. We are keen to understand the board’s position on if this should be pursued.’
It follows a DHSC review from Lord O’Shaughnessy last year which suggested that there was a lack of incentives, both financial and professional, for NHS organisations to take part in commercial research.
In April, NHS England published a best practice guide for managing research finances.
