As part of Norfolk and Waveney ICS, OneNorwich Practices is committed to its Research Strategy 2019-2023.  This strategy aims to achieve health benefits for patients by participating in medical research; this will enable patients to live more independent and healthier lives. 

Support is provided to OneNorwich Practices by the NIHR CRN Eastern and the Norfolk and Suffolk Primary Care and Community Research Office.

OneNorwich Practices (ONP) remains committed to working with the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) East of England, the local ICS, and wider strategic stakeholders, to develop, promote, and facilitate high quality research that is integral to delivering health and care, for the population’s benefit. To this effect, the Norwich Primary Care Network (PCN) has continued to strengthen its research network and activities throughout the year, leading to many successes.
For example, the Norwich PCN’s has been the highest recruiting single GP site nationally to the PANORAMIC trial, with over 800 participants enrolled so far. 

The Norwich PANORAMIC research team was the winner of the regional celebration award for this work and the research lead the RCGP/NIHR national research award. Many PCN colleagues were also given the opportunity to participate in research for the first time via joining the trial or joining the Associate Principal Investigator scheme that we support. 

All practices (100%) in the PCN contributed to research this year (2022) thanks to patients volunteering for covid related studies. This is a great success when compared to the 61% participation across Norfolk and Waveney. ONP and individual PCN practices recruited a combined 3,392 participants to research this year which represents 44% of the Norfolk and Waveney recruitment.

Building on these attainments and in alignment with the NIHR CRN national research strategy, ONP has reinforced a Primary Care Research Hub, which allows improved coordination of the PCN’s research agenda. The Hub’s activities include running the bi-monthly research forum, facilitating clinician’s and practice’s participation in research, and delivering research studies at-scale. 

In April 2022, the Hub received a Research Site Initiative contract from the NIHR CRN, which will allow the PCN and CRN to work more closely together and open the Hub to further NIHR support. We are looking forward to growing the Hub’s team and activity over the coming year.