The President of the Royal College of Surgeons has visited the University of Liverpool to mark International Clinical Trials Day.
Professor Norman Williams was at the North West Surgical Trials Centre (NWSTC), which is a collaboration between the Universities of Manchester and Liverpool, to speak to scientists and students addressing the issues around this important part of medical research.
Surgery is one the most important treatments offered by the NHS, and 4.6 million hospital admissions lead to surgical care every year. Surgery is also necessary for more than half of all patients cured of cancer. However, less than two per cent of Government funding for medical research goes into surgical areas.
The Centres enable surgeons to deliver clinical studies to assess new surgical techniques and develop breakthroughs in treatment that will help to deliver improved care to hundreds of thousands of patients.
Professor Williams said: “Surgery is drastically under-represented in health service research – something which we are determined to change. Joining forces with our partners to establish a nationwide network of surgical trial centres, which focus exclusively on clinical trials, will raise surgical standards and transform the quality of patient care across the breadth of surgery.”
The aims of the NWSTC are to develop and co-ordinate high quality surgical trials to improve patient care and outcomes for the eight million people living within the North West. It also aims to encourage more hospitals with the region to open and recruit to surgical trials which are already established.
Professor Paula Ghaneh, Deputy Director of the NWSTC said: “These Centres are vital to improving surgery in the UK. In the North West, having a centre in Liverpool means that it will be easier for patients to take part in clinical trials. This will translate into better care for surgical patients and better outcomes for their treatment.”