Covid research "incredible effort" praised at hospital
More than 3,600 patients have taken part in coronavirus studies at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth.
‘Incredible’ researchers at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth recruited more than 3,600 patients for Covid studies over the last year – among the highest numbers in the country.
The research and innovation department at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust has been praised for its work over the past 12 months, which has included 599 people taking part in coronavirus recovery trials – the ninth most successful in England.
A further 90 patients at the hospital were recruited for the REMAP-CAP study, which evaluates a range of simultaneous treatment options in patients admitted to intensive care with acute Covid.
And the research department used throat swabs from more than 3,000 patients to detect the different variants of coronavirus in the community and hospital. It is thought this will help develop new treatments, vaccines and track new infections.
Anoop Chauhan, director of research at the trust, said: ‘It has been an outstanding contribution from our research teams during this last year, particularly for patient care with our involvement in a range of Covid studies at a national level. Every member of the team has played a key role, clinical and non-clinical, supporting one another to care for our patients.
"I have never been more proud of the team as I am now. The incredible effort everyone in the team has made in the last year has been amazing"
‘We have managed to achieve so much even with many staff being redeployed in other hospital areas such as the ICU, the staff support line and acute care on the wards.’
Overall, a total of 8,713 patients were recruited for various trials in Portsmouth across the year, including non-Covid studies. As a result Portsmouth was ranked the top recruiting trust from 42 other large acute trusts.
The trust’s chief executive, Penny Emerit, added: ‘The trust was delighted to receive university status, which was achieved with the amazing support given by the research team.
‘Through our link with the University of Portsmouth, we continue to see further research studies being carried all of which help improve and benefit our patient experience and care.
‘Thank you to everyone involved. You have been amazing.’
In partnership with the Wessex Clinical Research Network, the trust also established a research vaccine hub to test new coronavirus vaccines as they become available.