The College has expressed its support for the newly-published Position statement on clinical research from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC).
Highlighting the importance of research to ensure that the NHS can “remain a world leader in health research and benefit from innovations that improve health and strengthen the economy”, the report makes a number of recommendations.
These include calling on governments in all four nations to support and invest in provision for protected time for research and education in NHS job plans, awards and prizes to recognise and encourage research activity, and inclusion of research exposure in training programmes.
Jugnoo Rahi FMedSci, Professor of Ophthalmic Epidemiology and Honorary Consultant Ophthalmologist, who is the College’s representative on the AoMRC Academic Committee, said: “Today’s medical research is tomorrow’s new treatment, technology, service or policy. Vision and eyes research in the UK is world leading but ophthalmology is facing the same crisis as academic medicine as a whole. The College was actively involved in developing this important report and we will work to implement the recommended actions – as well the complementary recommendations made in report the Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research’s report ‘Clinical researchers in the UK: reversing the decline’ – in ophthalmology.
“The crisis in academic medicine matters to all ophthalmologists, as all doctors are expected by the NHS and the General Medical Council to be research engaged.”
Following the statement’s publication, members of the Academy Academic Leads Committee have committed to encouraging and monitoring sharing of good practice and dissemination of further ideas.
You can read the position statement in full on the AoMRC website: Academic_Leads_clinical_research_1125.pdf