Clinical research drives improvements in healthcare and leads to the development of more effective treatments for patients. The government has said it wants to encourage health research, recognising that - at a time when demand on the NHS is high and finances are strained - being innovative can help improve productivity.
However data suggests that clinical research is not always embedded in NHS 'core business'. A lack of funding, time, expertise and resources are perceived to be the main barriers to clinical research by health professionals.
In our next online discussion we will ask if the NHS is really embracing research and whether it could it do this better. How can the barriers be overcome and how can trusts be encouraged to embed research into their core business? Is research seen as an extra burden rather than something that is integral to improving patient care, and should NHS leaders try to change this perception? How do we build a research active NHS? We will also explore how research can help the NHS meet the challenges of the future.
Join our expert panel on Thursday 26 September between noon and 2pm when we'll be discussing these issues. If you have a question you'd like to ask the panel, you can email it to healthcare@theguardian.com. You can can also tweet us your questions at @GdnHealthcare.
• Stephen Smye, director of research and development at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS trust and director of the NIHR Comprehensive Clinical Research Network
• Sharmila Nebhrajani, chief executive of the Association of Medical Research Charities
• Sara Osborne, head of policy at Cancer Research UK
• Ben Bray, quality improvement fellow, Royal College of Physicians
• Emma Munro, trust lead research nurse, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS trust
• Brian Thomson, director of research and innovation at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS trust
• Catherine Elliott, director, clinical research interests Medical Research Council
• Saul Faust, active in infectious disease research at University Hospitals Southampton NHS foundation trust
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