With a history of ground-breaking innovation in care, Newcastle Hospitals have a worldwide reputation for the quality and range of our clinical research.
Our research teams work closely with established academic and industry partners to identify and provide new cutting-edge treatments and techniques. There are studies and trials taking place in most clinical departments, covering many disease areas.
The progress our teams make, the new procedures and treatments they test, benefit the health and well-being of Newcastle patients and thousands of others around the region, country and internationally.
You can take a look at some of our recent research news, updates and achievements by reading our most recent editions of Research Matters.
2023
Research Matters – Summer 2023
Research Matters – Spring 2023
Our research community
At any given time, we have hundreds of doctors, nurses and other allied health professionals are working to:
- Discover and provide life-changing treatments, therapies, medicines and services
- Diagnose diseases earlier or more accurately
- Prevent people from developing ill-health or long-term health conditions
- Improve health and care for future generations.
The infographic below gives you a brief history of research at Newcastle Hospitals, starting with the first clinical study registered in 1975 through to 2021 when we registered our 10,000th study.
Bench to bedside
Ideas are taken from the laboratory bench to patients’ bedsides, moving from early discoveries through the whole research process to develop the very best treatments and techniques.
Much of this work at Newcastle Hospitals is coordinated and enabled by the Newcastle Joint Research Office, and run in close partnership with Newcastle University.
There are many questions still to be answered and our ongoing commitment to world class care is explained in the Trust’s five year strategy, which highlights how continued investment in research underpins our vision and healthcare leadership role.
‘Centres of Excellence’
In April 2020, Newcastle’s record of research success and the strength of our partnerships were recognised when we became part of a visionary new Academic Health Science Centre, known as the Newcastle Health Innovation Partners.
This new status makes us part of one of only eight such ‘centres of excellence’ in the country.
COVID-19 Research
The importance of collaboration is even more critical as we work to tackle COVID-19, the biggest global health crisis for a century.
COVID-19 research studies are taking place across the hospital – including in the emergency department, infectious diseases, respiratory medicine, critical care, maternity care and paediatrics – to improve understanding of the disease and find effective treatments.
Some studies are interventional, meaning participants receive a new form of treatment, such as a medicine, to measure if it works. Some are observational, where researchers monitor the effect of symptoms or existing tests and interventions, without changing what the patient receives.
Help us find a vaccine
Newcastle Hospitals’ dedicated COVID-19 research team is currently looking into:
- Testing for a potential COVID-19 vaccination
- Identifying the best way to predict severe illness amongst COVID-19 patients who use the emergency care system
- Investigating a number of possible treatments for COVID-19
COVID-19 patients under our care will be offered the chance to take part in trials, to help progress treatment and understanding of the virus.
Taking Part in Research
Research and clinical trials couldn’t happen without patients.
There are so many reasons to get involved – research and clinical trials can have an immediate positive effect on patients and can also help with potential life-saving treatments and improved outcomes in the future.
Involvement is different from project to project, but can involve:
- Trialling new treatments, technologies or techniques
- Providing blood or tissue samples
- Giving feedback and opinions on how treatments or diseases affect your quality of life.
Current Newcastle Patients: If you’re a patient and are interested in taking part in research, please speak to the clinical team providing your treatment or find out more on our get involved page.
Community Research: People who are generally healthy or coping with their condition, are also needed for research studies. These studies assess the impact of potentially cutting edge new drugs and treatments before they become widely available within the NHS.
The Patient Recruitment Centre: Newcastle (hosted by Newcastle Hospitals) is a research facility which recruits patients and members of the local community to studies focusing on common chronic conditions (such as headaches, moderate asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, common skin conditions). To find out more about current studies, visit NIHR PRC: Newcastle participate in a research study webpage.
The Research+Me registry gives volunteers from the community the opportunity to participate in research trials. By signing up to the registry, you will be contacted about potential research studies you may wish to volunteer for.
