Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has achieved the bronze standard of a globally-recognised accreditation scheme for clinical research.

The trust, which manages King’s Mill, Newark, and Mansfield Community hospitals, is the first in the Midlands to achieve accreditation from IAOCR (the International Accrediting Organisation for Clinical Research).

IAOCR accredits clinical research sites and organisations internationally by independently assessing both people and processes to the highest standards. The achievement shows that Sherwood Forest Hospitals is consistently working to industry-leading global standards of best practice.

At Sherwood Forest Hospitals, research is at the forefront of improving patient care and treatments; it is about gathering the evidence to find out ‘what works’.

In 2022/23, the trust exceeded its target by recruiting more than 2,800 patients into research trials. Trials are under way in more than 25 areas, including respiratory, cancer management and rheumatology.

It plans to build on this work by expanding studies into areas not previously involved in research, as well as aligning with trust priorities, for example, dementia and ageing.

Sherwood Forest Hospitals selected the Workforce Quality Accreditation (WQA) assessment and accreditation process to review its way of working and to help guide improvements in processes and practices.

Alison Steel, head of Research and Innovation at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, said: “This accreditation is extremely important to us because it provides reassurance that the delivery of a clinical trial and the clinical trial participants are in safe hands.

“Research staff are often the unsung heroes of healthcare and being able to showcase this achievement across the organisation, the region and the wider research industry will help to solidify our position as a clinical trial partner of choice.

“We hope to achieve gold accreditation in the near future.”

Sarah Everitt, vice-president Operations, IAOCR, added: “From the outset Sherwood Forest Hospitals’ motivation made them an exemplary working partner. The entire team showed enthusiasm for the process – from all levels of the organisation. This is why their Bronze accreditation is so well deserved and why they are a Trust that others should aspire to replicate in both working standards and ethos.”

To learn more about how Sherwood Forest Hospitals can support clinical trials, email [email protected].

If you are a service user you can talk to your clinical care team about the potential of getting involved in a research trial.

Pictured is the Research and Innovation team with Sarah Everitt (IAOCR) (front left)  presenting the accreditation award to Alison Steel.

They are wearing red for #Red4Research Day on Friday, 16th June, which aimed to get as many people as possible wearing red to demonstrate their support and appreciation for all those participating in, undertaking and supporting research.