Care Trust supports global health research in Afghanistan and Pakistan

The Research and Development team from Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, have played a key role in an international collaboration to strengthen research and governance systems to support mental and physical health in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The initiative is part of a wider programme funded and supported through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), via a Cohort Academic Development Award (CADA). The Care Trust is the only NHS organisation in the UK involved in this collaborative group, working alongside partners in the Centre for Impact (C4I), one of NIHR’s Global Health Research Centres.

The Trust’s research staff have contributed to the development and implementation of internationally recognised research governance procedures for a group of NIHR-UK research funded organisations, focused on improving mental and physical health outcomes in the region.

Following initial training visits to Islamabad in 2023, followed by further visits in 2024, Trust staff helped train a cohort of research leaders, managers and delivery staff, providing hands-on guidance in creating procedural documents, monitoring systems and auditing methods. These sessions were followed by a series of online support meetings in 2025. During a recent visit, the programme continued with in-person workshops, hosted at Aga Khan University (AKU) in Karachi and Khyber Medical University in Peshawar, offering further skills development and collaboration.

Iftikhar Khan, Research Delivery Team Manager, who went on the recent visit said: “The opportunity to work directly with researchers and clinicians in Afghanistan and Pakistan is incredibly meaningful. By sharing expertise on research governance and capacity building, we’re supporting sustainable improvements in health systems where they’re urgently needed.”

Elaborated further, Iftikhar said: “During our visit to Pakistan, we encountered challenges due to cultural norms, values and the wide range of languages spoken. However, through collaboration and careful consideration, we were able to develop procedural documents, monitoring systems and auditing methods that addressed these complexities effectively. For example, informed consent is a fundamental aspect of research, and it is essential to ensure that participants fully understand the information provided. This is especially critical in mental health research involving individuals with learning difficulties, mental health conditions or dementia. We had to be particularly vigilant and implement additional safeguards, when developing these systems, to confirm not only that participants will hear the information, but that they will truly comprehend it.”

Iftikhar concluded: “As active members of C4I, Care Trust staff will continue to support future development, helping to build systems that promote rigorous, ethical and impactful research.”

The research visit proved mutually beneficial for all partners involved. In addition to supporting teams in Afghanistan and Pakistan, colleagues from the Care Trust also gained valuable insights. Several procedures and approaches employed by the Pakistani research teams were incorporated into local training, enhancing awareness of important considerations when recruiting participants for research within our own communities.

This work reflects the Trust’s commitment to contributing to international research partnerships that improve global health outcomes, while fostering mutual learning between UK-based and overseas institutions.