From Board to Ward – April 2025
Our update this month focuses strongly on research and the benefits of research. Did you know that we’re leading on research here at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust? Our overall recruitment to National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) clinical trials totals 33,374 patients. This currently ranks us in 1st place for our NIHR regional reporting metrics and in 2nd place nationally. The only research organisation in England currently outperforming UHP is Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust at 38,674. In this edition, we share more about our research work and the experience of one patient who has been part of a clinical trial.
In April’s Board to Ward we share three highlights to demonstrate progress, decisions made and share in a transparent way some key developments and learning:
- Leading the way with research including a patient’s experience of being part of a clinical research trial
- Celebrating good news on infection control and more choice for young people
- Emergency Care Building coming on at pace
Leading the way on research
Patient story
John Houghton is a patient on the PADOVA study for Parkinson’s disease. He came to talk to the Board about his experience of being part of a clinical trial and this is his story (shared with permission):
“My name is John Houghton, I’m 67 years old, I live in Tavistock. I’m married with 2 children and 2 grandsons. I am now retired and find I am busier than ever, with projects at home, our children and grandsons.
“I like walking, photography and I’m going to be taking my black belt in Taekwondo in June. Before my diagnosis in June 2021, I noticed that I was getting a tremor, like a loss of power, when I was doing my Taekwondo training. I went to see the doctor and I was referred to Derriford for some neurology tests and I was told I had Parkinson’s Disease. It was a shock and it was also during the pandemic, so it was a difficult time. A few months after my diagnosis, I was contacted by the research group in Plymouth asking if I would be interested in joining the Padova study, and my journey started. I was more than happy to join the study. I went for scans and checks before starting the regular infusions in April 2022.
“I have been attending a session at Derriford Hospital every 4 weeks give or take, starting off on Double Blind, and I am now on open label.
“I feel very fortunate in taking part in these research sessions, getting access to the Parkinson’s team on such a regular basis. I have access to some of the best knowledge and experience there is around Parkinson’s Disease. Any concerns I have, aches and pains that crop up, it is a great comfort to know that the specialist team are there at the end of a phone or email. I am always made very welcome by all the staff and feel very much part of the team. In my journey, questions have come up and they have been dealt with normally right away, or soon after if they need to check or ask something.
“Since I started the study I have noticed a few things – I used to have problems with doing up buttons but that has improved, I seem to have more dexterity, I used to drag my right leg when walking but that has gone, the tremor in my right hand has increased slightly. I don’t know if during the trial itself I was actually taking the drug or not but I suspect that I have been taking it all along. Now I take the drug under an open label. I would not hesitate in advising others to join a research study.”
John was joined by Clinical Research Director, Michael Visick. Michael said: “This particular trial was about testing the effectiveness of a drug which was believed to slow the progression of Parkinson’s Disease. It was an open label trial which means that John could continue taking the drug even after the 2 year trial has finished. John is 67 years young and the longer we can keep John young and active, the better for everyone.”
A bit more about the Padova Trial
UHP are 1 of 9 hospitals in the UK conducting the trial. It is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that looks to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous (IV) prasinezumab versus placebo in participants with Early Parkinson's Disease (PD) who are on stable symptomatic Parkinson’s Disease medication. In total, 586 patients were successfully recruited.
Research at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
Michael then went on to present the Research and Development Annual Report to the Board. He outlined why Research & Development is so important for patients and staff:
- Improving patients experience and outcomes
- Attracting and retaining high-calibre staff through opportunities in cutting-edge research
- Embedding a culture of innovation, learning, and education across all disciplines
- Increasing staff morale and motivation through career development and leadership opportunities at regional and national levels
Michael told the Board leaders that the talent and scope of research at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust is quite incredible. he said: “Our research performance in the last 12 months is the strongest it has ever been in this organisation. University Hospitals NHS Trust is the top recruiting research hospital trust in the south west by a long way and second in England. We have introduced successful initiatives in the Joint Clinical Research Office with the University of Plymouth, which has overseen £14m worth of grant applications this year and the Joint Clinical Academic Advisory Board.
“We are taking research out into our communities through our Mobile Research Units and this year, using them, we have delivered a paediatric vaccine study for RSV and a study around vaping and quitting vaping (detail below). The RSV study was called Harmony and by utilising the mobile research units, we were the highest recruiting site in the UK. In collaboration with Plymouth City Council and Livewell Southwest, we want to deliver more public health research and our joining-up with Exeter and Torbay through the electronic patient record, Epic, will open up even greater research opportunities.”
Our UHP Mobile Research Units which are a groundbreaking initiative designed to bring health research directly into communities, improving accessibility and engagement in clinical trials. These units align with national healthcare priorities by reducing health inequalities, enhancing preventative care, and shifting research into community settings.
Research Helps Vapers Quit
Our Research and Development team, in collaboration with Devon research nurses and the NIHR South West Peninsula RRDN Agile Research Delivery Team, successfully delivered a study investigating whether a specialist nicotine mouth spray can support vaping cessation. A total of 46 participants were recruited from Plymouth and surrounding areas, with the use of a dedicated Mobile Research Unit improving accessibility and community engagement. The study concluded in December, and the research team plans to apply insights gained to future studies, with the aim of making quitting vaping easier and safer.
More on Research performance
We have concluded the 2024/2025 financial year as the second highest recruiting NHS Trust in England. UHP has demonstrated exceptional performance, with overall recruitment compared to last year increasing by 1,491% to 33,922 due largely to a Stroke AI study but even discounting that specific trial we have seen an 82% rise in commercial trial recruitment and a 55% rise in non-commercial trial recruitment. UHP leads the southwest peninsula in the number of actively recruiting clinical trials (172) and was the first European site to recruit to 1 trial and the first UK site to recruit to 7 trials.
Celebrating Good News
Improved infection control
Although there is still much to do, we are seeing a sustained reduction in infection rates. Over the last few months, due to a number of actions we have seen improvements, including:
- 5 months free from a MRSA bacteraemia and
- a 60% reduction in C Difficile
We would like to thank Darryn Allcorn, Chief Nurse and Director of Integrated Clinical Professions, and our frontline medical, nursing and pharmacy teams for such great work which avoids unnecessary harm to patients.
Giving young people a choice
We have long recognised the importance of offering 16 –17 year olds the choice of care environment when admitted acutely to University Hospitals Plymouth. Until now, the absence of a consistent policy has meant that young people did not always have the opportunity to be cared for in their preferred setting. Over the past few months, the Senior Clinical Lead for Acute Paediatrics and the Matron have collaborated to develop a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that formally embeds each young person’s right to choose between the adult wards and the paediatric ward. Upon admission, every 16 –17 year old should be offered this choice, ensuring our practice aligns with patient-centred principles and national guidance. We are discussing this with medical teams and will implement it in July 2025.
This was one of the issues raised by our Youth Patient Council .
Our new Emergency Care Building coming on at pace
On 20 January 2025, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced the outcome of the New Hospital Programme (NHP) Review, prioritising the build of the new Emergency Care Building at Derriford Hospital and confirming construction will start this year, as planned. The Emergency Care Building is a 17,000 m2 purpose-built facility, creating space to care for the sickest patients and co-locating the Emergency Department with urgent care pathways in a 4 storey building at the front of the hospital.
The main phase of the scheme will complete in Autumn 2028, delivering:
- An integrated emergency and urgent care hub with appropriately sized and co-located Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) and other urgent care pathways, and a 24 bed Short Stay Unit (SSU)
- An increase in resuscitation bays from 7 to 9
- An increase in ‘majors’ bays from 21 to 36
- A total of nine theatres including the reprovision of three interventional radiology theatres general operating theatres, surgical/hybrid theatres and neuro interventional theatres
- Enhanced welfare facilities, training areas and administration space
The last phase of the programme will complete in Summer 2029 and will include a refurbishment of the existing Emergency Department to create a new Paediatric Emergency Department. The positioning of this space aligns with the Trust’s plans to create a dedicated Children’s Hospital as a future phase of development. By transforming the urgent and emergency patient care model, the Trust will consolidate its tertiary services role as the Peninsula Major Trauma Centre and will specifically support the Trust’s status as a designated hyper-acute stroke facility for Devon. More widely this scheme will also build on the Trust’s position as an anchor institution for Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall, developing an array of partnerships across acute, community and social care providers, local government, education providers and industry.
Future Hospitals Director Stuart Windsor told the Board: “We have prepared and submitted our Full Business Case for this and hope it will go before the Joint Investment Committee in June and then we hope to receive Ministerial approval before the summer Parliamentary recess. Then we can proceed full steam ahead. The front of Derriford Hospital has already changed beyond recognition in the last 12 months in preparation for the new Emergency Care Building. I would like to thank all the clinical teams who have endured quite a lot in terms of the building works to date and to all the teams who are making the different moves happen –paediatric emergency services, Fracture Clinic and Outpatients to name just a few.”
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