Using the vehicles to engage more communities outside of traditional hospital settings will enable more people to contribute to local research, access new treatments and therapies and allow MPFT to further develop the care and services it provides.
The units are equipped with both clinical and consultation spaces enabling a wide range of activities, from taking blood samples and conducting physical assessments to engaging in discussions about research opportunities. Both buses will carry an automated external defibrillator (AED) donated by local charity AED Donate.
Ruth Lambley-Burke, Director of Research and Innovation at MPFT said:
“This is about breaking down barriers to participation. By taking research on the road, we can reach people in their own communities, giving them the opportunity to contribute to healthcare advancements that will have a real impact on their lives and those of future generations.”
The buses will travel across Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, and Trust locations nationwide as part of a programme of community engagement events delivered with partners from the health and care and voluntary and community sectors.
A launch event for the first research bus, named Betsy, will take place at St George’s Hospital in Stafford on Wednesday 15 January, where Ruth and members of the Trust’s Research and Innovation team will be joined to cut the ribbon by MPFT’s Chief Executive, Neil Carr, and Chair, Jackie Small.
Neil Carr said:
“MPFT is proud that research and innovation is part of our culture. Since becoming a university status NHS Trust, our research teams have worked tirelessly to consider how we can make research everyone’s business. Part of this has been thinking innovatively about ways to ensure that research and clinical development is accessible to all so that advancements in healthcare are equitable.
“As an organisation we serve thousands of individuals across a range of diverse communities. The arrival of the research buses marks an exciting step forward in truly working with all members of the local communities we serve and importantly bringing health research directly to them. We hope that this approach will drive up participation and build stronger relationships with our communities.”
The project was supported with funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research as part of the national drive to strengthen the UK’s position as a leader in research delivery and innovation.
Professor Matthew Brookes, Director of the NIHR West Midlands Regional Research Delivery Network, said:
"The Network is pleased to have supported our partners at the Trust in developing this valuable resource, which will see research opportunities made available to a wider section of the community. We look forward to meeting Betsy out and about around our region".