£1.4m cutting-edge research facility will boost healthcare in North Devon
11 Oct 2024
The Royal Devon has been awarded £1.4m to build a state-of-the-art clinical research facility in North Devon, and is one of only 30 NHS Trusts to have received this funding award.
Located at North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple, the dedicated hub will provide space and equipment for delivering vital clinical research. The hub will be the first dedicated facility for clinical research in North Devon, and will significantly increase the number and complexity of clinical research studies the Trust can offer.
These will include ground-breaking research such as specialised heart studies, as well as trials exploring common issues such as lower back pain, joint problems, and osteoarthritis, all of which significantly affect independence and quality of life. This will transform the care we deliver to our patients.
Sam Higginson, Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said:
"We are delighted to receive the funding to be able to build this facility for people in North Devon. We have an ambitious research culture and see clinical research as essential and transformational in ensuring our communities have access to the best care.
“The facility will also help us attract great clinicians at every stage of their careers who want to be involved in research.”
The Royal Devon has established a strong reputation as a centre for world-leading research, and North Devon District Hospital already hosts a national centre of excellence for abdominal wall surgery. This expansion is an exciting next step and aligns with existing initiatives including the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre and the new NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in partnership with the University of Exeter.
Professor Helen Quinn, Director of Research and Development at the Royal Devon, said:
“This is fantastic news for the North Devon population. We know patients who are treated in research active hospitals have better health outcomes, whether they are taking part in a study or not.
“This new centre will ensure we can expand the number of research studies we can deliver in North Devon which will empower us to tackle health inequalities specific to our region, including multiple long-term conditions that disproportionately affect the local population.”
The new facility has been made possible by a successful funding application to the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), following the Department of Health and Social Care's announcement of a £30 million award to 36 trusts as part of the UK government's ambition to become a world leader in clinical research.
This project aligns with the Royal Devon’s ambitions to build a better hospital in North Devon to deliver healthcare that’s fit for the future as part of the Our Future Hospital programme.
The next steps are for teams at the Trust to work with patients and other key stakeholders to begin the planning process to build the facility.
For updates on the progression of this exciting project, as well as information about advances in clinical research at the Royal Devon, please visit the Trust research pages and follow us on social media:
For more information about the Our Future Hospital programme, visit: Our Future Hospital (royaldevon.nhs.uk)
