Norwich patients invited to give their views on primary care services
A GP in Norwich
has won a prestigious national award honouring the enormous contribution they
have made in delivering research to find new treatments and care pathways for
NHS patients over the last year.
Dr Serge Engamba, a GP with OneNorwich Practices, Norfolk,
has been announced as winner of this year's Royal
College of General Practitioners (RCGP) First5® Award,
run jointly with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
Clinical Research Network (CRN).
The
awards recognise GPs
who demonstrate an emerging interest and experience in delivering NIHR CRN
research within a primary care setting. Dr Engamba was recognised for his commitment to building research
capacity in the Norwich Primary Care Network (PCN) and encouraging public
participation in research.
By
successfully engaging the Norwich PCN and the 21 OneNorwich GP practices, Dr
Engamba has ensured that each GP practice has been able to offer research
opportunities to their patients. All practices in OneNorwich recruited for the
PANORAMIC trial, and Dr Engamba’s
site was the fifth highest recruiting GP site in the UK for the study, enabling
1,631 participants to take part.
As
well as being a GP, Dr Engamba is also a GP partner, clinical research lead and
the NIHR CRN Primary Care Deputy Specialty Lead for the East of England.
On winning this prestigious award, Dr. Engamba said:
“I
feel really honoured to have received this research award, which is a testimony
to the hard work and dedication of my team of colleagues and our real passion
for primary care research. Our work promotes the idea that research delivery
can be done safely and efficiently ‘at scale’ and introduces this model as a
successful alternative in primary care.
“Since
its inception in 2006, the NIHR has significantly increased the scale of
clinical research in the NHS, particularly through the NIHR Clinical Research
Network. The engagement of NHS physicians and trainees is essential for
sustaining and building on this success, particularly given the many competing
demands on clinician time and resources.”
Judges' comments:
Dr
Engamba has shown commitment, considerable work, energy and initiative in
developing research capacity. It is truly inspiring in terms of impact he has
had in both leading, delivering and widening research. His contribution to the
delivery of the PANORAMIC COVID-19 study in his PCN should also be commended.”
Professor Jeremy Turner, Lead Clinical Director for the NIHR
CRN in the East of England region, said:
“Huge
congratulations to Dr Engamba for the well-deserved recognition he
has received in these important awards. Dr Engamba not only provides the drive
and dedication to grow research opportunities for patients and the public, he
is also an inspiration to everyone involved in research in health and social
care. We are extremely privileged to have him as part of our regional and
national NIHR community.”
The
RCGP and NIHR Awards also include a Practice category, the winner of which has
been announced as the Shifa Surgery, in Blackburn, Lancashire. The Practice
Award identifies research-active NHS general practices that demonstrate
innovation and excellence when delivering NIHR CRN portfolio research.