Research & Innovation
Our research department is committed to researching and innovating new technologies and treatments. We are at the forefront of pioneering research in a wide variety of conditions.
Research & Innovation
The Sheffield Children's Clinical Research Facility (CCRF) opened in 2008 as the first dedicated CCRF in the UK.
We are dedicated to the development of medicines and treatments for children and recently adopted innovations in children's healthcare as a key priority.
Our research strengths cover a wide range of clinical specialities and we are proud to work with some of the country's leading professionals in paediatric conditions.
About
Research & Innovation at Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust includes the Research Administration and Governance Team and the Clinical Research Facility Team. Together we provide comprehensive assistance to researchers conducting clinical research in our Trust.
We work closely with colleagues in the Medicines for Children Research Network, the South Yorkshire Comprehensive Local Research Network, regional NHS Trusts and our local universities to ensure that we provide a streamlined service for the development, set-up, costing and management of both paediatric and adult research conducted in Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust.
Contact
Clinical Research Facility
D Floor, Stephenson Wing
The Children's Hospital Sheffield
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TH
Telephone: 0114 271 7417
Take part
Every year we do research to improve the lives of thousands of children all over the country and we always need more volunteers to take part. See how you can help us help others.
Take part in research
Every year we do research to improve the lives of thousands of children around the country. Research with children helps us understand more about disease and illness from a child's perspective. It can also help us learn more about some adult diseases that begin in childhood.
Testing medicines is a significant area of research. Many medicines used with children have only been tested on adults, but the way their bodies handle medication can differ as can their reaction to diseases. It is important that further research is done to ensure that children are receiving the best treatment possible, whatever the severity of their illness.
Types of research
We undertake several different types of clinical research:
- Studies that only use information from health records. These are generally looking for statistical information that may link a disease with a location, age or medical history for example.
- Studies that ask you to complete a questionnaire or attend a focus group or interview. The researchers may want to find out about certain lifestyles, families or attitudes to illness or treatments.
- Studies that take measurements or collect samples. These studies often don't involve any kind of treatment and are used in genetic research to compare one group of people with another.
- Studies that involve treatment. These are often, but not always, clinical trials.
Activities
You and your child might have to undertake various activities including:
- Coming to hospital for extra visits
- Giving extra blood or tissue samples, pictures, x-rays or scans
- Completing a questionnaire or attending a focus group or interview
- Taking special medicine or tablets
- Keeping a diary of activity levels, food intake or how your child feeling
Everything your child needs to do for the study will be explained to you by the research team and you will be given information leaflets to take home.
Next steps
A member of the research team will explain the study to you including its purpose, any risks and what will be expected of you and your child if you decide to take part.
Once you have agreed to take part you will need to sign consent forms - even after you have signed these forms you can withdraw your child from the study at any time.
Remember that any involvement in research is voluntary and you don't have to take part. It will not affect your child's ongoing treatment if you refuse and you don't have to give a reason for refusing. You might be asked why you decided not to take part to help the researchers find out if there is anything that they can change or improve in future.
Contact us
If you would like to get involved in a research project or clinical trial, please contact the Clinical Research Facility team on 0114 271 7417. They will be happy to offer you practical advice on how your family can help.
Facilities
Our Clinical Research Facility has a dedicated research laboratory, ward area and comfortable waiting rooms for families.
Research centre facilities
The Sheffield Children’s Clinical Research Facility (CCRF) offers first class facilities for paediatric trials across a wide portfolio of clinical specialities. Facilities include:
- Consulting rooms
- Bedrooms with patient entertainment systems
- Infusion lounge
- Family rest room
- Waiting and play areas
- Treatment room
- Family Bathroom
- Laboratory facilities for sample handling, processing and storage in monitored -80oC storage
- A meeting room suitable for larger group meetings and seminars
- Outreach to other wards and the community
- A team of dedicated research nurses and support staff
Researchers also have access to:
- Dedicated clinical trials staff in the Pharmacy Department
- State of the art imaging facilities
- Clinical laboratory facilities
- Genetic testing
- Sleep Laboratory
- An R&D team dedicated to supporting the set up and ongoing management of research
Research activity
We have research strengths in a wide range of clinical specialities and work with some of the country's leading professionals in paediatric conditions.
Research activity
Research at Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust spans a range of specialities including bone disease, genetics, respiratory disease, neurology, radiology, cancer and blood diseases, endocrinology and mental health.
In 2012 the hospital received over £1 million in grants for research into the treatment of bronchiolitis - a common winter illness in babies - the use of vibration plate therapy to prevent fractures in children, and the development of bone scanning to replace X-rays in the study of bones in children.
The Children's Hospital Charity donates £250,000 a year to research projects.
Examples of current research activity
Haematology and oncology - our Haematology and Oncology Service actively participates in research. Eligible solid tumour and leukaemia patients are offered recruitment to all available national and international clinical trials and translational research projects. Read more about our haematology and oncology research activity.
Newborn screening - a UK-wide pilot study to screen newborn babies for five rare diseases started in July 2012. The Trust is co-ordinating the study and will screen 75,000 of the 430,000 babies during the year long project.
Juvenile Huntington's Disease (JHD) - data is being collected on around 35 young people with Juvenile Huntington's Disease (JHD) across Europe. There is very little research in this area and no cure or preventative treatment available. It is hoped that the study will lead to patients with JHD taking part in trials which could eventually yield a cure.
Bronchitis - the Trust is currently leading the world's biggest study into children with Persistent Bacterial Bronchitis. The research will show which bacteria are living in the lungs of children with the infection and whether there is a pattern of immunity that puts some children at risk. The results could lead to finding a treatment or vaccine for the condition.
Bone health - ground-breaking research into how body weight and hormones affect bone health from childhood to adulthood. Volunteers are being asked to take part in the research, being carried out by medics from the hospital and researchers from the University of Sheffield. The study involves using revolutionary bone scanning equipment to look at internal bone structure to see if body weight and hormones affect bone development during growth.
Researcher info
We can help you conduct research, clinical trials or systematic reviews at Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust.
Information for researchers
We work with researchers who want to conduct research, clinical trials or systematic reviews at Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust.
Research is essential to the successful promotion and protection of health and well-being and also to modern, effective health and social care services. At the same time research can involve an element of risk, both in terms of return on investment and sometimes for the safety and well-being of the participants.
We can help you by providing detailed information on all aspects of research, from the initial conceptual stage right up to study completion and publishing.
Support for researchers
We are here to support your research proposal and help to develop it into a feasible study.
- We will help with funding applications, using our experience and liaising with the relevant departments, to provide a valid application.
- We will arrange for research passports, honorary research contracts and letters of access where needed for external researchers to use our facilities.
- We have templates for writing a protocol for the study, as well as for CVs, information sheets and consent/assent forms.
- We are experienced with IRAS and will organise ethics, regulatory meetings and help collate the application and supporting documents to gain approvals.
- Once the study is approved at our site and has commenced, any amendments you need to make can be arranged through us.
- During the study, we also undertake monitoring, audits and inspections, to make sure everything is running to plan and within the regulations.
For further information call 0114 271 7417.
