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Home > Research and innovation > About research and innovation > Our research performance

Our research performance

We ensure studies are set up on time, recruit to target and are delivered more efficiently as a key objective.

Information:

We ensure studies are set up on time, recruit to target and are delivered more efficiently as a key objective.

Research and innovation graphic - April 24 to March 25 data

NHS providers holding National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) contracts are required to provide information on recruitment to clinical trials on a quarterly basis, and the aim of this reporting is to place focus on transparency, accuracy, and meeting sponsor expectations.

Statistics by year

  • 2022-2023 University Hospital Sussex Foundation Trust
  • 2021-2022 for the former Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • 2021-2022 for the former Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Information on our recruitment to clinical research studies

Former Western Sussex Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and former Brighton & Sussex University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust:

Further information

The government’s ‘plan for growth’ introduced incentives for efficiency in initiating and delivering clinical research in order to increase the ease and speed with which research can take place. As a research active Trust, UHSussex has an important part to play in NHS research.

UHSussex is required to make the following research performance information publicly available:

Performance in initiating clinical research

This benchmark assesses whether or not we have met our target for recruiting the first patient to a clinical trial from receipt of a valid research application. Data is supplied for any clinical trial receiving permission to start at UHSussex since 1st April 2014.

Performance in delivering clinical research

This metric assesses whether or not we have recruited the agreed number of research participants to a commercial clinical trial within the agreed time frame. Data is supplied for any commercial clinical trial active at UHSussex since 1st April 2014.

Both sets of performance information have to be submitted to the Department of Health on a quarterly basis and also published on our website.

The new HRA Approval system was fully implemented on 31st March 2016 and resulted in a major transformation to the national process of approving research taking place in the NHS. National research performance metrics have been updated in line with the new approval system; corresponding data from Q2 2016 to 17 onwards in the ‘performance in initiating clinical research’ reports below is now marked as ‘old metric’ or ‘new metric’ depending on the ‘submission type’ the data supports.  Further information about the Department of Health’s research performance reporting requirements can be found on the NIHR website.

HRA approval and the corresponding changes in performance reporting have created a third category of ‘submission type’ which falls between the old and new approval systems. NHS Organisations are not able to report performance data on the initiation of these studies to the Department of Health, however we have decided to publish the data on our wesbite. We refer to this third submission type as ‘HRA Light’ and a separate section of reports can be found below starting from Q2 2016 to 17.

Glossary of performance report terms

Initiating clinical research:

  • Research Ethics Committee reference number – A unique reference given to each research study by the National Research Ethics Service
  • Integrated Research Application System (IRAS) number – A unique reference given to each research study when a national research approval application form is generated
  • Date of receipt of Valid Research Application (VRA) – The date Western Sussex Hospitals received a ‘valid’ application for a research study (old metric)
  • Date Site Invited – The date the Trust received a copy of the study protocol (the handbook of the study) (new metric)
  • Date Site Selected – The date the Trust received a full copy of the Local Information Pack (all the documents required to set up a research study) (new metric)
  • HRA Approval date – The date on which HRA Approval was given for the study (new metric)
  • Date Site Confirmed by Sponsor – The date of the first contract signature by the study organiser (new metric)
  • Date Site Confirmed – The date the Trust signed the study contract (new metric)
  • Date Site Ready to Start – The date the Trust is ready to start recruiting patients to a study (new metric)
  • Date of first patient recruited – The date the first Western Sussex Hospitals’ patient consented to take part in a study
  • Non-Confirmation Status – The reason the for not participating in a study (new metric)
  • Duration between VRA / Date site selected and first patient – The time in days between the date of receipt of a valid research application (old metric) or the date site selected (new metric) and the date the first patient consented to take part in a study
  • Benchmark met – Whether or not Western Sussex Hospitals met the 70 day target 
  • A-J – List of reasons why the benchmark has not been met

Delivering clinical research

  • Research Ethics Committee reference number – A unique reference given to each research study by the National Research Ethics Service
  • Integrated Research Application System (IRAS) number – A unique reference given to each research study when a national research approval application form is generated
  • Target number of patients agreed? – Confirmation as to whether a target number of patients to recruit had been agreed by the Trust and study organiser
  • Minimum number of patients agreed – The minimum number of patients Western Sussex Hospitals agreed to recruit to the study
  • Maximum number of patients agreed – The maximum number of patients Western Sussex Hospitals agreed to recruit to the study
  • Target date to recruit patients agreed? – Confirmation as to whether a target date to recruit patients by had been agreed by the Trust and study organiser
  • Date agreed to recruit target number of patients – The date by which Western Sussex Hospitals agreed to recruit the target number of patients
  • Total number of patients recruited at the agreed target date – The number of patients the Trust recruited by the agreed target date

Total number of study participants recruited – Total number of patients the Trust recruited

Date that trial closed to recruitment – The date the study stopped recruiting patients

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