TRAINING AND RESEARCH
Research
Medical research has been conducted at the Honiton Surgery for over 20 years. We have a small research team led by Dr Danny Murphy.
The team receive details of research studies approved by the NHS and decide which studies are feasible and appropriate to be carried out at Honiton. These studies cover all aspects of health care including diabetes care, early diagnosis of cancer, assessing dressings and wound care, post flu vaccine surveillance and assessment of new medicines.
All the studies have been assessed by the NHS and have full ethical approval. The surgery receives funding for research from the South West Peninsula Clinical Research Network (part of the NHS) and from the individual studies that we take part in. The research team undergo regular training in taking informed consent from patients taking part in studies and the surgery has Royal College of GPs Research Ready accreditation.
The surgery research team assess study design, discuss practical issues of running a study at the surgery and liaise with the Patient Participation team at the Clinical Research Network.
The surgery believes that medical research is important for many reasons. Research studies help to answer specific questions about health and health care. The design of a study reflects the question(s) that it is seeking to answer. For example, studies can explore:
- Whether or not new treatments or ways of organising services are effective (do they work?)
- Whether or not those treatments or services are cost-effective (do they give value for money?)
- how different health problems develop and progress over time
- the views of patients and health professionals about a particular treatment, intervention or service and how they might be improved
For further information about research at the surgery please see below.
COVID-19 Research
If you would like to know more about COVID-19 research and how you can contribute, please visit the Be Part of Research website which is run by the National Institute for Health Research.
Current Research Trials & Studies
MAGNIFY
It is believed that poor adherence to prescribed medications is high in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). MAGNIFY will enable GP practices to support regular inhaler use through a new technology provided by Propeller Health (US). This technology includes a device which is attached to the glycopyrronium / indacaterol Ultibro® inhaler. This device monitors inhalations and sends reminders to the user’s smartphone to take their daily dose. The study aims to determine whether the use of adherence support technology will improve outcomes in COPD patients with poor adherence to treatment. For more information on the study you can visit the Magnify website.
Patients at Honiton surgery may receive an SMS inviting them to complete a questionnaire. The message will read as follows:
"Dear (Patient Forename) to help us meet your current healthcare needs, please fill in our lung health questionnaire at https://patient2gp.org/magnify.php?QID={QID}"
For more information please see the questionnaire FAQs.
RSC Virology Swabs
If you or a member of your family have had a flu-like illness or a respiratory infection within the last 10 days you may be able to help monitor the spread of respiratory viruses.
Every year, there are a range of respiratory viruses circulating across communities. The Oxford-Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Research & Surveillance Centre (RSC) have been monitoring the spread of the respiratory viruses with swabs for over 50 years, tracking new viruses as they appear. We look at the spread of respiratory viruses across the country every week to inform public health policy and use the information to help understand the effectiveness of vaccines against those viruses. Please see the RSC's Patient Virology Poster for more information.
PANORAMIC
PANORAMIC is a UK-wide clinical study sponsored by the University of Oxford and funded by the National Institute for Health Research to find out in which people new antiviral treatments for COVID-19 in the community reduce the need for hospital admission and get better sooner.
PANORAMIC is open to to those who:
- Are experiencing COVID 19 symptoms, beginning in the last 5 days
- AND have a positive PCR or Lateral Flow test for COVID-19
- AND are aged 50 or over, OR are aged 18 or over with a LISTED pre-existing condition
You can participate in your own home from anywhere in the UK for the first treatment being tested in panoramic. No face-to-face visits are required.
Follow up will be by answering questions each day online and/or telephone calls with the study team, who will be there to support you to throughout the study.
For more information please visit the PANORAMIC study website.
Patients at Honiton Surgery may receive an SMS (text) from the surgery either from NHS-NoReply or from 07903 592043 to be aware of a research study that, if covid positive, means they could be contacted by the research team.
If it is from NHS-NoReply, due to limits on how much information can be displayed via SMS, you will be provided a link to be able to read more information. This link is trusted and will take you to a page that allows you to read the full message about the study.
An example of what the message may look like is:
Dear Patient Name, At Honiton Surgery we are taking part in a trial called PANORAMIC to help find antiviral treatments for... Read more https://nhsm.uk/IrwUwYW (or similar)
From 07903 592043 it will look like a standard text message.
PRINCIPLE Research Study
The PRINCIPLE trial aims to find treatments that reduce hospital admission and improve symptoms for people with COVID-19. You could be eligible to join if:
- You are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days or less
- AND: You have had a positive test for COVID-19 in the last 14 days
- AND: You are aged 18 or over
Please see the PRINCIPLE Research Study website to find out more.
Please call the Trial Team if you have any questions or do not have access to online systems: 0800 138 0880.
D-PACT (Dementia PersonAlised Care Team)
D-PACT is a five-year research programme funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The aim is to develop and evaluate a model of practice for dementia support (an intervention) based in primary care for people with a diagnosed dementia (or those with significant difficulties that might indicate a dementia, but have no formal diagnosis) and their carers. This person-centred support will be delivered by a Dementia Support Worker (DSW).
The DPACT Dementia Support Study aims to evaluate whether this model of practice improves physical healthcare and emotional wellbeing for both the person with dementia and the carer and identify which aspects of the intervention have the most potential to improve their quality of life.
Patients of Honiton Surgery that meet specific criteria may be invited to participate in this study. For more information visit the D-PACT webpage.
Cov-Boost Study
*UPDATE* Recruitment fromt the Devon & Exeter area is currently closed.
This is a study looking at a third booster dose of different COVID-19 vaccines. You may be eligible if:
· You’re older than 30;
· You received your first COVID-19 vaccine between December & February and have had your second dose.
The total study participation time is up to one year. If you are interested in taking part, please visit the Cov-Boost website
We have sent out SMS messages or emails to patients that may be eligible. If you require any further information please visit the study's website above.
SAFER Trial
The researchers want to find out if screening for atrial fibrillation is feasible, will prevent strokes and is good value for money for the NHS. Patients may receive a letter inviting them to participate in this trial. For more information please visit the SAFER Trial website or for any queries please contact the trial team direct by phone on 01223 763 491 or email at safer@medschl.cam.ac.uk
