UK Clinical Trials Talent Taskforce 2023

Joint Taskforce Launches to Conduct Broadest Ever Review of UK Clinical Trials Talent Solutions

The UK Clinical Trials Talent Taskforce (UK CTTT) launched in August 2023 to support the development of a best-in-class holistic ecosystem for talent attraction, development, professional recognition and retention; supporting the UK’s aim of being a world-class destination for clinical research.

The collaboration between the NHS R&D Forum and IAOCR is a direct response to the recently published Lord O’Shaughnessy’s review on Commercial Clinical Trials in the UK which called for “exceptional best practice” to become the norm so that patients, the NHS and the UK as a whole can benefit.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Press release - UK CTTT

UK CTTT Survey

The taskforce will utilise existing products and services from the UK’s expert provider network to “grow our own” talent; leveraging and supporting high-quality solutions from both UK commercial and non-commercial solutions to best service the community’s needs. The taskforce will focus purely on the roles of clinical trial site staff working in the UK across the NHS and commercial sector.

In the spirit of Lord O’Shaughnessy’s report and in support of it, the purpose of this Taskforce is to:

Seek out existing work that has been completed or is currently in development across the whole of the UK clinical trials landscape.
Identify best-in-class solutions across the whole of the UK – England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales.
Make recommendations for a joined-up, best-in-class ecosystem (encompassing both public and private sector) to support cradle to grave career pathways. Regional differences and levelling-up recommendations will also be included.
Provide a gap analysis and recommendations for development of new solutions, where existing high-quality solutions do not already exist.
Consider the recommendations HM Government Response to Professor Dame Angela McLean’s Pro-Innovation Regulation of Technologies Review, Life Sciences, with particular regard to secondments.
Deliver a report containing recommendations and an action plan to the industry and to UK Parliamentarians

Joint Chairs

Angela Topping

NHS R&D Forum Executive and Head of Newcastle Joint Research Office (NJRO)

“The recent O’Shaughnessy and McLean reviews both recognise that the design, delivery and implementation clinical research is complex and multi-disciplinary. We need a systems-wide approach to ensure that we have career pathways which support and nurture our clinical research talent to benefit the UK as a whole.

The NHS R&D Forum is excited to be partnering with IAOCR in leading this taskforce and working with key opinion leaders from the UK R&D system to increase opportunities for patients, participants, and the public to take part in research”

Jacqueline Johnson North

Chief Executive of IAOCR (International Accrediting Organisation for Clinical Research) and GCSA (Global Clinical Site Accreditation)

“I’m delighted to Co-Chair the UK CTTT with the NHS R&D Forum. In support of Lord O’Shaughnessy’s proposal for the UK Government to double the numbers of people participating in commercial clinical trials in the next 2 years and double it again by 2027, we’re focused on helping the UK to deliver the “exceptional best practice” that has been called for so that patients, the NHS and the UK as a whole can benefit. This requires an exceptional workforce enabled by exceptional education, career development and professional recognition.

The UK possesses a plethora of talent solutions across the private and public sector, but the current offer is fragmented and it is difficult for people to enter the industry and to navigate a professional career pathway. Our ambition is to identify a holistic, world-class talent solution by bringing together the products and service already in existence, and to identify where gaps exist.”