The independent regulator of health and social care in England, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), has today published its new strategy, recognising the benefits of clinical research to patient outcomes. The prominence of research in the strategy is welcome and follows discussion and engagement with the Society and partner organisations in the clinical research community.
In our formal submission to the consultation, the Society called for explicit inclusion research in the strategy, noting the opportunity for the regulator to drive progress when it comes to embedding research into patient care. We also made recommendations to support patient safety through the safe and effective use of medicines, including improved monitoring of patient safety metrics.
Dr Anna Zecharia, Director of Policy & Public Affairs at the Society said:
It’s great to see that the Care Quality Commission has listened to the Society and others in the clinical research community - using its new strategy to recognise the benefits of clinical research to patients, and that it has a role to play in incentivising this in practice. The strategy also commits CQC to tackling health inequalities – and improving parity in patient access to the benefits of research is one way of taking action.
Implementation of the new strategy is a real opportunity to drive better outcomes for patients, particularly through steps the regulator can take to support a culture of research in the NHS.
The Society continues to call for cross-government action on health inequalities through our membership of the Inequalities in Health Alliance and is currently working to support investment in UK clinical pharmacology to support the government’s new vision for clinical research delivery, and the NHS long-term plan for healthier patients, better medicines and a more efficient NHS.
Read our evidence submission here
