27 January 2014
More Than 1000 GP Practices Now 'Research Ready'
Around one in eight GP practices across the UK are now ‘Research Ready’, after signing up to an initiative by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) to encourage GP teams and patients to get involved in primary care research.
1006 GP practices have now completed the online self-assessment designed to ensure that practices are aware of their responsibilities to both themselves and their patients when they get involved in research.
During accreditation, a clinician is identified as the practice’s research lead, but all members of the practice team can incorporate research into their work. In some cases, patients can also be directly involved in research projects.
Access to the self-assessment tool costs £150 for a three-year accreditation period, which can be recouped from any income the practice receives from its research activities or other sources of research support.
Dr Matt Hoghton, Medical Lead for the RCGP Clinical Innovation and Research Centre, said: “Research is an essential part of primary care; it helps GPs and other team members keep up to date with emerging protocols, initiatives and mindsets, and it gives our patients the confidence that they are receiving cutting edge care.
“We are delighted that so many GP practices are now Research Ready. It demonstrates the commitment of GPs to innovate and experiment in the best interests of patient care, even at a time when are workloads are spiralling and funding for general practice is at an all-time low.
"My own practice is Research Ready and I have seen firsthand the benefits it can bring in providing more tailored care for my patients and in terms of my own professional development. It enables us to concentrate our research in the areas that affect our practices most so that we can make a tangible difference to how we provide care for patients.”
Harvey Ward, Chair of the RCGP Patient Participation Group, said: “Patients want to know that their GP practice is looking into new, more efficient, ways of providing care and that the care they receive is good quality and tailored to the needs of the local community. The Research Ready self-assessment tool is an excellent resource and patients can be confident that any research taking place in their practice is being undertaken correctly.”
Further Information
For more information on Research Ready, click here - http://www.rcgp.org.uk/clinical-and-research/research-opportunities-and-awards/research-ready-self-accreditation.aspx
Research Ready has been developed in collaboration with the NIHR’s Primary Care Research Network. Follow this link for more details - http://www.crncc.nihr.ac.uk/about_us/pcrn
RCGP Press office - 020 3188 7574/7575
Out of hours: 0203 188 7659
press@rcgp.org.uk
Notes
The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 49,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.