The role of research and innovation in the NHS to improve cancer outcomes

Peter Selby - Association of Cancer Physicians Back to top

Professor Peter Selby is president of the Association of Cancer Physicians and Director of the Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine.

• Huge value of research in improving outcomes, specifically the effect of colorectal cancer activity and its relationship to clinical outcomes.
• The need for NHS research is two-fold; – to improve the evidence base  and to explore whether a research active health service could deliver better care.
• Statistics show a 2.5% differential in five year survivorship between research active hospitals and research inactive hospitals.
• This unique evidence showed that research active hospitals had better outcomes for colorectal cancers.

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Richard Stephens - National Cancer Research Institute Back to top

Richard Stephens is chair of the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Consumer Liaison Group. He gave his perspective as a patient of research.

• The health service has got better over the last 10 years at asking patients whether they want to join a clinical trial. Richard Stephens mentioned his own “personal research questions” upon being asked – what were his options, how successful would it be, would it be a hassle?
• He believed patients receive better care on a research study, but was concerned about the possibility of extra visits to hospital and the impact this may have on his family.
• Patients joining trials has been a massive success story for the NHS – more and more are saying yes year on year. For 23% of them, research was an integral part of treatment.

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Simon Denegri - National Institute for Health Research Back to top

Simon Denegri is the national director for Public Participation and Engagement in Research and Chair of INVOLVE.

• There are the beginnings of a culture change in the NHS – research is becoming seen as a key part of care, although it is a difficult time for further progress. The  NIHR perspective of patient experience focuses on how research delivers better quality; how it can support patients to make better choices, strengthening the way patient experience is used and encouraging leadership at a local level (both patients and organisations such as Clinical Commissioning Groups, Healthwatch etc) as well as public involvement.
• There is a need to work on improving tools and information, improving public awareness and making research part of the day to day – even charity helplines could suggest research to callers.