In more than 20 years as a renal consultant at Salford Royal, Phil has made a difference to thousands of people’s lives. His expertise in kidney medicine, together with his unstinting work to improve knowledge, care and treatment through cutting-edge research has made him a local, national and global leader. He’s also a dedicated and effective teacher, editing and contributing to key text books as well as inspiring and passing on his knowledge to the next generation of renal doctors. Despite juggling many important roles – among others he is a trustee of the charity Kidneys for Life – he always puts patients and their welfare at the heart of everything he does and he has an intense focus on making sure his patients get the very highest standards of care. Patients find Phil approachable, compassionate and caring – many of them are nearly as devoted to him as he is to them! He is enthusiastic about empowering patients with knowledge about their condition and how they can best live with it, arranging and speaking at weekend patient information days and bringing in other experts such as clinical psychologists to support patient welfare. 

Lyndsay Scarratt is the senior nurse and manager of the oncology research team at Oldham Care organisation. She actively recruits patients to studies but also provides direct compassionate care to our patients. She has led the team to considerably exceed the recruitment target year on year and her honesty and integrity make her an inspirational leader. She was a major contributor to the opening of the Clinical Research Unit at Oldham and recently was one of three staff whose work earned the site the silver award in the Clinical Site of the Year category of the prestigious Pharma Times International Awards. She actively seeks out studies that would benefit our patients, offering them access to treatments that would not be available otherwise and that may improve cancer treatment and survival rates in the future. Lyndsay has developed a good working relationship with different specialties so that research is now being embraced across the Trust and has also taken on the role of Principal Investigator for a study that greatly exceeded its target. Respect is something that is earned and Lyndsay has earned this from, patients, staff and peers alike.

Consultant neurologist Monty Silverdale is leading some of the most exciting and promising Parkinson’s disease research that is going on globally. He is lead neurologist on the ‘scent of Parkinson’s’ study using skin chemicals as a novel way to diagnose Parkinson’s disease He is an expert on pain in Parkinson’s, a less well known but highly debilitating consequence of the condition, and led the largest ever looking at pain in Parkinson’s which could now lead to a major shift in the way pain symptoms are managed. He is also carrying out research measuring the brain’s response to pain in Parkinson’s disease, working with Professor Anthony Jones and the Human Pain Research Group at Salford Royal and The University of Manchester. Monty is also the CRN specialty lead for dementias and neurodegeneration, lead neurologist on the Greater Manchester Deep Brain Stimulation Programme, and Chair of the UK Parkinson’s disease Clinical Studies group, which organises Parkinson’s disease research throughout the UK. He is totally dedicated to improving knowledge on Parkinson’s and to providing the best possible outcomes for his patients – his pain study developed from patients’ concerns during consultations and he takes an inclusive approach to involving patients in planning research.

Andrew is a passionate advocate for children’s health and wellbeing. His absolute determination to give children and young people the best possible care and protection spans not only his working life as a paediatric emergency medicine consultant at North Manchester General Hospital and honorary professor of paediatrics at Salford University, but also his research, campaigning and charity. He founded the charity SicKids following a trip to Cambodia in 2014 – its goal is to relieve sickness and preserve health among children and young people in the North West of England and South East Asia. It does this by providing and assisting in the provision of facilities, support services and equipment not normally provided by local authorities. Andrew himself makes twice-yearly visits to run medical clinics in the health centre in Sihanoukville and the surrounding jungles and villages. He is committed to working with children and young people so their voices are properly heard (not merely tokenism) from the very start of their contact with health services. He also campaigns to protect children from violence and maltreatment through physical punishment and has published research summarising why physical punishment doesn’t work and should be stopped.

Deborah is an Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner with a specialism in chronic pain/fatigue and has supported the launch of the new multi-disciplinary Bury Integrated Pain Service. She is dedicated to improving the lives of patients with chronic pain/fatigue (such as chronic low back pain, chronic widespread pain, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis). They can often have distressing symptoms of not only of pain and fatigue, but also anxiety, depression and disability. In the absence of a cure, she supports them with coping strategies. One which is widely used is activity pacing but there are currently no agreed standards – and there’s even some debate into whether pacing may worsen symptoms as well as improve them. That is why she is leading a crucial research study to add clarity to the concept of activity pacing through developing an activity pacing framework as a comprehensive guide for healthcare professionals to standardise how pacing is instructed. She has been awarded funding under Health Education England/National Institute for Health Research’s prestigious Integrated Clinical Academic programme to develop the study. She has also completed a PGCert in Health Psychology (Distinction) and the NHS Leadership Academy Mary Seacole Programme. She is the co-founder of EPIPHANY, an initiative aimed at promoting evidence-based practice among physiotherapists.

The five-strong Core Research Team at the Royal Oldham Hospital have made a significant contribution in ensuring research is available in more clinical specialties than ever before in Oldham. Traditionally, the team worked specifically within cardiology and diabetes research but now support more specialties including cardiovascular, diabetes, renal, critical care, surgery, stroke, injuries & emergencies, anaesthetics, and gastroenterology. They face many challenges with the varying patient populations and clinical teams but with lots of flexibility and fantastic communication skills they are involving patients, relatives, and the wider public in research. They are keen ambassadors for the NHS and are happy to take part in events promoting not just their own studies but also the wider benefits of research. The willingness and helpful nature of each member of staff to support others is often commented on and the positive working environment they create ensures optimal recruitment into trials. They are dedicated to making a difference for each patient and to bring the same opportunities to all. Compassion, empathy and a willingness to go the extra mile for the patients are their watchwords. They also work collaboratively with clinical teams and being their presence at ward rounds and multi-disciplinary team meetings help too keep research at the forefront of colleagues’ minds.

The Parkinson’s Disease Research Team at Fairfield General put their patients are at the heart of what they do – they are committed to helping their patients cope mentally and physically with this awful progressive disease, while contributing to the search for new treatments. Currently, the team have some complex commercial trials, with many patient study visits lasting a full day. It takes a lot of hard work, concentration and a real team effort to ensure these visits are run correctly and patients feel comfortable and well-looked after. One patient said “The staff were particularly well skilled and educated to a high standard. This team gave me a reason to carry on, a sense of worth and made me feel part of the team.” The team will do whatever possible to improve patients’ experience, using their initiative to find solutions to issues which might affect somebody continuing to take part in a trial. This dedication means they have a fantastic record in recruiting to studies – for instance they’ve recruited 66 patients to a fascinating study (Skin Metabolites in Parkinson’s disease) which has featured on the news, involving ‘the woman who can smell Parkinson’s disease,’ since April 2019, hugely surpassing their annual target of 26.

Research for the Future (RftF) worked with artist Christine Wilcox Baker, Manchester researchers, clinicians, Diabetes UK and patients to create ‘Seven thousand feet’ , an exhibition, events and activities to engage with the public about diabetes. Titled to reflect the number of people in the UK undergoing diabetes related amputations annually, the exhibition showcased at Manchester Science Festival (MSF) 2018 and was the focus for the city’s World Diabetes Day celebration.Over 100 RftF diabetes volunteers shared their experience living with diabetes to help shape the exhibition. RftF promoted their ‘Help BEAT Diabetes’ campaign throughout MSF, engaging with the public about the benefits of taking part in diabetes research. Almost 2,000 people visited ‘Seven thousand feet’. Evaluation demonstrated this novel approach was a cost effective way to raise awareness of diabetes, improve knowledge about diabetic foot complications and increase motivational behaviours for a healthy lifestyle. Diabetes UK subsequently invited a selection of artworks to be displayed in the main exhibition hall at their 2019 annual professional conference. Over 3,000 health professionals were able to see the exhibition and find out about how RftF helps recruitment to research. Being part of ‘Seven thousand feet ‘created new links between RftF and researchers, some of whom have already utilised the service to help their recruitment.

The cancer research team at North Manchester General Hospital work closely together and always put patient care at the heart of what they do. Understanding the needs and key decision making considerations of their patient population is crucial, as this enables the development of highly effective recruitment and retention strategies. This is evident in their recruitment figures for the first five months of 2019/20, recruiting 176 patients in four specialties – cancer, cardiology, anaesthesia and respiratory and recruiting the first UK patient to the Pre-BRA study. Success in offering a study to all suitable patients requires every member of the cancer research team to network within the care teams. The management of patients with complex disease such as cancer is very much a team approach and each case is discussed in confidence within a multidisciplinary team (MDT). The research nurses always make certain they highlight which patients are suitable for which study so the care team seeing the patients in clinics can offer the opportunity.The team members are constantly engaged in education programs to improve their skills and knowledge, with one member of the team undertaking a Doctorate in health and social care and another taking a BA (Hons) Business Management Professional in health and social care.

Diane is new to research administration and has been with the Acute Research Delivery Team for just under 12 months. During this time she has embraced the challenging and dynamic environment of acute research and has developed and progressed in her role beyond all expectations. Diane has a ‘can do’ attitude and embraces the variety and challenges of her role with commitment and compassion. She has developed systems within the team that ensure both efficient and effective clinical trial management and has played a significant role in ensuring consistent and timely data collection across a diverse range of clinical trials. She has an enquiring mind and is always the first to seek out opportunities for self development and improvements to team working. She is massively valued by the immediate team and by our clinical colleagues who respect and value her opinions and organisational skills. More importantly than all of this however, is the compassion and respect she has for all patients and relatives she interacts with. Many patients have commented on her compassionate approach. Diane quietly just ‘gets on’ with going the extra mile, ensuring both patients and her colleagues feel supported and valued.