INTRODUCTION

The Dorset RDSU aims to encourage high quality research and development through consultations, collaborations and workshops provided free to all NHS health workers in the county.

The Unit is funded by the Department of Health with contributions from Dorset HealthCare Foundation Trust, Poole Hospital NHS Trust, the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Poole and Bournemouth Primary Care Trust, Dorset Primary Care Trust and the School of Health and Social Care, Bournemouth University.

An Advisory Committee, chaired by Dr Roger Packham, Medical Director of Poole Hospital, monitors the activities of the RDSU and is answerable to the Department of Health. The Advisory Committee has members representing each of the contributing organisations, the Wessex Primary Care Research Network (WReN) and Dorset Social Services. We produce a quarterly newsletter (RADAR) and maintain a website (http://www.rdsu.org.uk).

TARGETS FOR 2007/8
 

• To deliver core activities, produce the newsletter quarterly and maintain the website.
• To monitor the financial situation against the 4-year strategy.
• To undertake a strategic review and develop a five year plan.
• To support the research activities of the new Centre of Postgraduate Medical Research and Education at Bournemouth University.
• To promote the Dorset Mind and Body Network.
• To explore research into fatigue in conjunction with the University of the West of England (Professor Sarah Hewlett).
   

OVERVIEW

Our profound thanks to Chris Richards, the RDSU administrator for the last 7 years, who retired at the end of April. Nikki Halliday has taken up the challenge of juggling the demands of three professors and hundreds of healthcare researchers!  

We repeated the survey of research and development in Dorset previously undertaken in 2002 and combined the results. SORDID 2006 (Appendix) marked the 10^th anniversary of the Dorset RDSU and aimed to get the user’s views of the service we provide and gather information on research outputs from projects in which we are involved. 70% of projects we advised on were classified as research, 20% as audit and 10% as other. 135 projects had specific funding; 54 from a non-commercial grant body, 26 from a commercial source, 44 from local NHS funding, 10 from other local funding and 7 had funding from a training fellowship, grant or bursary. Of the 130 funded projects where the amount of funding was known, 6% were for amounts of £150,000 or more, 25% for amount of £50,000 or more, 45% for amounts of £20,000 or more and 67% for amounts of £5,000 or more. At least 155 peer reviewed articles had been published, 27 are submitted and awaiting publication, 27 are submitted and awaiting a response, and at least 93 are currently being written.

The Mind and Body Medicine network continues to grow (Appendix) with 120 members across Dorset. We have held four meetings and a conference, New Directions in Mind Body Research. We have established a page on our website, are collaborating with 10-15 specific research projects, many of which are interacting projects, and are involved with 7 higher degree studentships. 

The RDSU has been involved in the development of the Centre of Postgraduate Medical Research and Education at Bournemouth University launched by the Vice-Chancellor on 11^th June 2007. The Centre focuses on medically lead research with an emphasis on quantitative techniques and will complement the existing groups of Nursing, Midwifery, Community Care, Rehabilitation Science and Social Work. The RDSU will have an important role ofsupporting the research activities of the Centre and the 2008 RAE. 

Our funding of £97.776 from the NHS Executive was supplemented by £78,859 from our stakeholders, £73,125 from grants and £25,582 from secondment of a research assistant to Bournmouth University. The total income of £303,034 exceeded the total expenditure by £6,835 reducing the overall deficit to £25,031 which will be carried over to the next financial year as agreed with Poole Hospital as part of the 4 year financial plan.

In anticipation of the end of our contract in October 208 and the changing research and development needs of healthcare professionals in Dorset we plan a strategic review during 2007/8. We will look back at our activities over the last 10 years, scope the research needs of our population and partners and produce a five year plan. 

CONSULTATIONS

The core activities continued to expand with the overall statistics as follows: 

*whole time equivalent

The number of consultation sessions, number of R&D projects and number of staff receiving help remains high although the proportion of consultations to projects has risen (3.2 compared to 2.5 in 2006 and 2.4 in 2005). This supports our impression that the pattern of research is changing towards fewer larger projects with greater RDSU input per project.

Staff available for consultations are Roger Baker (0.8wte), Peter Thomas (1.0wte) and Sarah Thomas (0.1wte)

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION

Our Newsletter, RADAR, (see Appendix) continues its quarterly publication and is circulated to over 1000 health workers. The newsletter has a short leading article, a Mind & Body research page, dates of workshops and meetings, and information concerning grant giving bodies.

Our website (www.rdsu.org.uk) reflects information given in RADAR and more details about the RDSU, including the services offered, workshops and the Mind & Body programme.

R & D PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

Grants

The RDSU collaborated with, or was first or co-applicant for 26 new grant applications or contracts in 2006/7, of which 8 were successful and the final decision on 7 more applications are awaited.  This represents a 31% success rate.  The total amount of new funding generated for 2006/7 was £615,930.  The total funding for projects where the RDSU was lead applicant or co-applicant was £730,059 (including funding from previous years on projects which have continued this year).  This was £317,694 in 2004/5 and £356,440 in 2005/6 and represents a significant rise in total funding.

Publications

In 2006/7, 13 papers and 3 report have been published with RDSU members as named authors and 3 journal articles are either in press or accepted for publication.  A further 11 journal articles have either been submitted or are in preparation. 3 presentations/abstracts were made at scientific meetings.  The RDSU encourages researchers to submit their articles to high quality journals.  This year there have been publications in the Lancet and BMJ. 

G. EDUCATION AND TRAINING

There were 19 (3 in 2 parts) workshops with 79 participants covering a wide range of topics. Based on a 54% response rate, 84% of participants scored the workshops as “useful” or “extremely useful”.

RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY THE RDSU
 

Mind & Body Research (Appendix) 

MS/Fatigue
Emotional processing 

Collaborating with Dorset HealthCare Foundation Trust R&D programme, Professor Baker and colleagues at the RDSU have developed a theory, assessment and therapy around the theme of emotional coping with stress and trauma.  Major research collaborations with Bologna University, and Doshisha and Nagoya Universities are underway.  An article in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research was published this year and a book on emotional processing and health is due to be published in September.

Paul Thompson continues collaborative work with Dr Eloise Carr, Reader Bournemouth University into the negative impact of lumbar spine X-ray and MRI scan reports on back pain patient outcomes. A paper is in press in the British Journal of Radiology and LREC approval has been obtained for the next stage. A grant application is in preparation.  

Collaborations with WReN 

The RDSU submitted an NHS R&D programme grant for £697,303 on Developing the potential of Emotion based therapies in the NHS.  This was a collaboration between RDSU, WReN/Southampton University, Dorset HealthCare NHS Foundation Trust, Bournemouth University and Tilburg University, Holland.  The outline proposal was successful but unfortunately, the full proposal, though favourably reviewed, was not successful. 

OTHER ACTIVITIES AND OUTPUT

The RDSU members sat on 26 committees, 18 steering groups and StatNet meetings. The Director maintains regular contact with other agencies such as social services and Bournemouth University. 

CONCLUSIONS

We are please to report a successful and busy year in which we have maintained our core activities, further developed the Mind and Body theme, help launch the Centre of Postgraduate Medical Research and Education at Bournemouth University, improved our financial position, repeated the SORDID survey and set the foundations for a strategic review for the next 5 years.