Thursday 30th January 2025
Urgent action is required to address falling numbers of clinical researchers and meet the needs of the nation’s health and economy, according to a new report involving the Academy of Medical Sciences.
Commissioned by the Office for the Strategic Co-ordination of Health Research (OSCHR), the report,***Clinical researchers in the United Kingdom: Reversing the decline to improve population health and promote economic growth***says that “future clinical research is under threat due to a clearly documented decline in clinical research staff, both in absolute numbers and – more strikingly – in proportion to the expanding NHS workforce”.
It outlines a series of measures to be taken to address the decline, which include:
Establishing a national clinical research career framework
Enabling more flexible training pathways
Encouraging leaders and mentors
Ensuring more equitable pay and opportunities
Among its 15 key recommendations, the report calls for at least 40 new clinical research posts annually over five years to help reverse the decline seen since 2012, a national scheme to enable early research experience, such as through fully funded degree bursaries and internships, and for research to be embedded as a KPI in all NHS Trusts at Board level.
Decline in clinically trained researchers
Clinically trained research staff include a wide range of professionals, including medical, dental, public health, nursing and midwives, who carry out research as part of their professional role.
Numbers of medically trained researchers have been falling in recent decades. OSCHRconvened a broad stakeholder ‘Task and Finish’ group -comprising chief scientific advisors from the UK four nations, key representatives from the Academy of Medical Sciences, NHS, government and charity research funders, industry and academic institutions – to consider the issue at a national level. OSCHR commissioned the report to evaluate the current situation, pinpoint causes and identify the actions necessary to reverse the decline.
Analysis in the report reveals a clear fall in medically qualified research staff. The decline is even starker as a proportion of the workforce, with the UK not growing its clinical research capacity in parallel with the expansion of the NHS. Data demonstrates that this trend is set to worsen over the coming decade as the existing clinical research workforce is ageing and not being replaced at a rate that maintains the current position.
Professor Rosalind Smyth CBE, Vice President (Clinical) at the Academy of Medical Sciences who is part of the OSCHR Task and Finish group, said: “Clinical researchers are the bridge between scientific discovery and better patient care – their expertise drives innovation in the NHS and keeps the UK at the forefront of medical advances. The Academy of Medical Sciences is committed to supporting the careers of clinical researchers through our 'Starter Grants for Clinical Lecturers' and other career development schemes. This report is a vital opportunity to strengthen our research ecosystem, improve the health of the UK and drive economic growth. By bringing together research funders, universities and the NHS, we are helping to ensure clinical researchers can continue turning scientific discoveries into better treatments for patients, both now and into the future.”
The Academy has long championed the vital role of clinical researchers through its flagship**Starter Grants for Clinical Lecturers scheme, providing crucial early-career support of up to £30,000 over one-to-two years to help build the next generation of clinical research leaders. The impact of the funding is significant – withBMJ researchshowing that recipients aretwice as likely to attain clinical academic positions**compared to those who do not receive the grants.
Since 2008, the scheme has supported nearly 700 clinical researchers, with grants totalling over £19 million, helping them to gather preliminary data and strengthen bids for longer-term fellowships. The Academy also actively promotes diverse perspectives in research design -offering up to £2,500 for public and patient involvement in Starter Grant applications.
Importance for health of the nation and economy
The decline in clinical researchers has serious consequences both for the NHS and UK economy.
Clinical research drives innovation to make the NHS more sustainable and deliver better patient outcomes. Clinically trained research staff play a central role in innovations that improve treatments, interventions, diagnosis and prevention strategies. Research-active hospitalsconsistently show lower mortality rates.
The UK has a global reputation for research in the life sciences sector, which helps drive growth in the economy. The report highlights that every £1 invested in medical research delivers a further 25p return for every year thereafter.
Clinical researchattracts major inward investment from global industries who choose to base their biomedical research bases in the UK. It also acts as a driver for spin-outs in pharma, data science and new technologies.
Corrective action required for medically qualified researchers
This report focuses on recommended actions tailored to medically qualified researchers – those with a medical degree, such as physicians, surgeons, anaesthetists and general practitioners. A second report on nurses, midwives and allied health professionals will follow soon.
The report identifies a complex web of causes for the decline in medically qualified researchers, both at systemic and individual level, including student debt, financial pressures on individuals and organisations, increasing career uncertainty, changing workforce demographics, and changes to training programmes.
Addressing the decline does not necessarily require major new investment, as some of the systems and structures are in place. However, it does require an urgent and – importantly – coordinated approach across government and multiple stakeholders across the research and healthcare landscape.
**Professor Patrick Chinnery FMedSci, Chair of the Task and Finish Group and Executive Chair of the Medical Research Council, said:**“Clinical research drives innovation to deliver better health outcomes for all and make the NHS more sustainable. This report sets out the urgency in reversing the well-documented decline in clinical researchers and proposes solutions to maintain the UK’s position as a global leader in the life sciences sector. Coordinated steps across government and other key stakeholders are now vital to implement all the recommendations in this report. The MRC is already working with major funders to implement its actions.”
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), said: "Clinical researchers are essential for delivering high quality research and developing the evidence base to drive innovation and improvements in patient care. This report provides important insights into the opportunities and challenges facing the clinical research workforce. By working together with others across the system to act on the key recommendations outlined in the report, we can attract, train and support outstanding clinical researchers to build upon the UK’s track record of scientific excellence, drive innovation across the health and care system and deliver improved health outcomes for all."
The latest round of the Academy’s**Starter Grants for Clinical Lecturers scheme is open to applications, with all eligible early-career clinical academics encouraged to apply. Applicants can also participate in theAcademy's one-to-one mentoring programme**, which pairs post-doctoral and independent biomedical and health researchers with Academy Fellows, irrespective of the outcome of their application.