Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust is welcoming members of the public to a digital version of its public Board meeting, on Thursday 26 November 2020.

Board meetings are an opportunity for people across Bradford, Airedale, Wharfedale, Craven and Wakefield to learn more about the work of the organisation and its wider involvement in improving healthcare across the region.  November’s Board meeting is a particularly valuable opportunity for members of the public to understand how the Care Trust is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and managing the second wave.

In addition to Trust services continually providing care and support for local communities during such challenging times, the Trust’s Research and Development department is also supporting the COVID-19 coronavirus effort.  Members of the public will hear from  Dr David Sims, Medical Director at the Trust, and Dr Gregor Russell, Research and Development Director and Visiting Associate Professor, University of Leeds, who will present a research report on the excellent work of the department so far in mental and community health, and the projects it is involved in.

Official partners with the Yorkshire and Humber NIHR Clinical Research Network, the Trust’s research priority this year is focused on COVID-19.  The Research and Development department is currently recruiting participants to three research studies and supporting two others with a further two coming soon.

Another project the team is involved in involves partnering with the game-changing National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Patient Recruitment Centre (PRC) programme.  A new PRC in Bradford is one of only five in the country and enables access to cutting-edge treatments whilst generating valuable revenue for the district.  In just three weeks, it was the first site to recruit 500 participants for the NOVOVAX vaccine trial and has also collaborated with Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and primary care.

Dr Gregor Russell, explains why research is so important: “Coronavirus has been the biggest challenge health service have faced for a generation. The Trust has played an important part in the effort to understand the virus, supporting studies on a range of subjects, from vaccine trials to understanding the psychological consequences of the pandemic. Involving people who live in Bradford in this research helps ensure that the findings of these studies are relevant to people who live in Bradford. As important as Coronavirus research is, it is only part of our work, and we continue to support vital studies to understand and develop better treatments for a range of other conditions, from autism to Alzheimer’s disease.”

The Board will also discuss upcoming priorities such as the COVID-19 testing programme and influenza vaccination programme, the chief executive’s monthly report and the monthly performance report. 

The live online Board meeting will take place on the Microsoft Teams platform on Thursday 26 November, 9.30am – 1.30pm. For people wishing to attend, please join via the Microsoft Teams joining link: https://bit.ly/36AR6kU , or contact Fran Limbert (Deputy Trust Board Secretary) on email: fran.limbert@bdct.nhs.uk or phone: 01274 363544.

The next public Board meeting will be Thursday 28 January 2021, timings tbc.

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