NIAA Update: November 2016
Welcome to this month's newsletter.
NIAA Opportunities
NIAA Grants Officer vacancy
The deadline is fast approaching to submit an application for our Grants Officer position, which will become vacant in 2017. We are looking for a research experienced candidate who has a broad understanding of anaesthetic research, and a proven track record of academic publication along with extensive peer review experience.
The post is open for clinicians and non-clinicians alike. If you or someone you know is interested in finding out more please visit our website here, and if you'd like to discuss the role with the current post-holder Prof Dave Lambert please get in touch with us. This is a great opportunity to play a strategic role in grant funding for anaesthesia and its related specialties.
Closing date for applications is Monday 12 December 2016 at 5pm.
Interviews will take place in January 2017.
NIAA-HSRC NELA Fellow vacancy
The NIAA-HSRC / National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA) are seeking to appoint a surgical research fellow to work on a high profile national audit.
The post holder's responsibilities will include providing a surgical perspective for the audit, data analysis, report and manuscript writing, supporting quality improvement work and presentations at local/regional/national meetings.
He/she will be expected to attend NELA Project Team meetings as well as additional meetings related to data analysis, quality improvement, report preparation and other meetings as required. Travel expenses for these meetings and all work related to NELA will be reimbursed.
The successful candidate will gain exposure to national research and quality improvement programmes, opportunities for academic publication and conference presentations and develop leadership and management skills. The post will commence as soon as possible, but no later than 1st February 2017.
More information on the role, how to apply and on NELA is available here.
Closing date for applications is Monday 28 November 2016 at 9am.
Interviews will be held on Tuesday 20 December 2016.
NIAA Trainee Representative
We are inviting applications for the role of co-opted Trainee Representative on the Research Council of the NIAA.
Trainees who hold a National Training Number in Anaesthesia, and are either Academic Clinical Fellows, Academic Clinical Lecturers or are undertaking/have completed an MD(Res) or PhD are eligible to apply.
The successful applicant will be required to attend two NIAA Research Council meetings per year as well as other internal meetings, and participate in activities to promote and enhance the work of the NIAA and academic anaesthesia in the UK including attending external events.
This role is one of two Trainee Reps currently co-opted on the NIAA Research Council. More information on the role is available here.
The closing date for applications is Monday 20 March 2017 at 5pm.
Interviews will take place in April 2017.
Other Opportunities
BJA/ARS Travel Bursaries 2017
The British Journal of Anaesthesia and Anaesthetic Research Society have up to 10 travel bursaries of £1,000 each available to support members of research active departments presenting their work at the joint meeting of the BJA/ARS Research Forum, with the Association of University Anesthesiologists (AUA) to be held in Washington, DC from 4th - 5th May 2017.
Abstracts for poster presentations can be submitted via the AUA website from December 2016, before the closing date of Tuesday 31st January 2017.
To apply for a bursary you will need to be a member of the BJA/ARS Research Forum, and send a copy of your submitted abstract by Wednesday 1st February 2017.
For more information on applying for a bursary, poster submissions and the joint meeting please click here.
BMA foundation for medical research grants 2017
The 2017 BMA foundation for medical research grants will open for applications from Monday 5th December 2016.
The BMA provide approximately £500,000 of research funding annually, this year across 11 different grants. Funding areas range from heart disease to schizophrenia to the impact of working pressures on the medical profession.
Applications are invited from medical practitioners and/or research scientists for research in progress or prospective research. The closing date for applications is Friday 3rd March 2017.
Details of funding available, deadlines and contact details for the 2017 grants are available on the BMA website.
Events
Joint NIHR/NIAA MedTech Workshop
We have a few places still available to attend the first joint NIHR/NIAA Medical Technology Workshop being held at the RCoA, London on Monday 12th December 2016.
The meeting will explore the national and international landscape for medical technology, with a particular focus on the factors which drive the successful development and adoption of medical technology in the NHS. It is aimed at clinicians, researchers, and industry leaders with speakers including Professor Monty Mythen - NIAA Board Chair, and Neil Mesher - CEO of Phillips UK and Ireland.
For more information and to book a place please click here.
Perioperative Day at SARS Annual Meeting 2017
The Perioperative Care Day at the Society of Academic and Research Surgery (SARS) Annual Meeting is being held at The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, on Thursday 19th January 2017.
Registration for the event is now open via the SARS website.
Early registration is advised as discounted early bird rates are only available (trainee and consultant level) until 30th November 2016. Medical Student registration rates are also heavily discounted.
Online registration will close on Monday 16th January 2017, 8.00am. Registration on arrival will be possible, but an additional £25 surcharge will be applied to each 'on the day' registration.
Further information and a full programme for the event is available on our website here.
RCoA Listening Events
The Royal College of Anaesthetists is hosting a series of free listening events for anaesthetists in training, to better understand trainee needs and the pressures they may be under and to discuss and share potential solutions and opportunities.
The first of these events is being held on Monday 12th December 2016 from 5:30pm at the RCoA, London. They will be informal sessions, focusing on discussion and listening and the primary purpose is for the views of anaesthetists in training to be replayed back into the College. In attendance will be Dr Liam Brennan, RCoA President as well as RCoA Council members.
A second listening event is being held on Monday 30th January 2017 and further events around the UK are planned for 2017.
To find out more and book a place to attend please visit the website here.
Other News
SNAP-1 study to be published
The full results of the SNAP-1 research study, led by the National Institute of Academic Anaesthesia's Health Services Research Centre (NIAA-HSRC), is scheduled for publication in the British Journal of Anaesthesia in mid-December.
SNAP-1 examines the quality of anaesthesia care of over 15,000 patients in 257 NHS hospitals. Over 85% of patients were very satisfied with their anaesthesia care, and 99% percent of the patients who responded to the NHS Friends and Family Test stated they would recommend the anaesthesia service. Patients most commonly reported anxiety to be the worst aspect of their operation (33%), followed by pain (16%); thirst was also a commonly experienced symptom.
However, this contrasts with the RCoA's recent membership survey; of 5,196 UK anaesthetists who took part in the survey, one-third indicated that a demoralised, fatigued workforce, inadequate facilities, disengagement and lack of co-operation by management, and the lack of qualified staff is restricting the delivery of safe and effective patient care.
For more on this story please visit the RCoA website.
PQIP launches, is adopted onto NIHR portfolio
A multidisciplinary initiative supporting local quality improvement to benefit patients undergoing major surgery, the Perioperative Quality Improvement Programme (PQIP) began data collection on 7 November 2016 with a 'soft' launch. Sites will only begin participating as and when they are able to and once all the relevant regulatory paperwork has been completed - the first five sites are now signed off and ready to begin.
The PQIP patient study, which will recruit 70,000 patients over four years has been adopted onto the NIHR portfolio, giving participating sites access to support from the NIHR Local Clinical Research Network to recruit patients to PQIP and support data management locally.
For more information contact pqip@rcoa.ac.uk or visit the PQIP website. The PQIP team are working hard on making the website an interesting resource for investigators and all clinicians engaged in PQIP. Within the data entry web-tool which will be accessible to participating hospitals are included links to key research papers, blogs and podcasts from experts about some of the big issues and conundrums around perioperative care.
Clinical Trials Network holds inaugural Autumn Meeting
The UK Perioperative Medicine Clinical Trials Network (POMCTN) held its first ever Autumn meeting on 9 November 2016 in Birmingham. The meeting was a great success, with standing room only at one stage due to demand (more chairs were quickly rounded up!).
The meeting was open to all members of the CTN, including clinicians, healthcare professionals and researchers who are currently active or want to be actively participating in clinical trials in perioperative medicine. The programme combined investigator training and up to date information on current and future trials, with feedback being sought from the floor on current and future clinical trial proposals, and opportunities provided for members to network with likeminded clinicians.
Topics for the training section of the day included 'What makes a good Principal Investigator?', 'Common mistakes in clinical trial designs' and 'Working with patient partners'.
The POMCTN will hold its second Autumn Meeting in Manchester in November 2017 - watch this space for information. Click here for information on joining the POMCTN.
NIHR CRN Research activity league table 2015/16
This year's Research Activity League Table has been published by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN), to detail research activity across all NHS trusts in England. The table provides a picture of how much clinical research is happening, where, in what types of trusts, and involving how many patients.
This year it reveals that every NHS trust in England is delivering clinical research, providing thousands more patients with access to better treatments and care. Over 60 per cent of NHS trusts increased their research activity.
Find out more information and view the league table here.
