UKCRF Poster Prize winning entry from the Wellcome-HRB CRF at St James’s Hospital
Posted on: 30 July 2024
The prize is an acknowledgment of the hard work and continuous efforts of the CRF to improve its processes, and validates the dedication that the CRF put into enhancing the quality of their work and patient care.
The Wellcome-HRB Clinical Research Facility (CRF) at St James’s Hospital has won the overall poster submission prize at the UK CRF Annual Conference 2024.
The winning poster outlined the new implementation of a ‘daily quality check’ where patient visit-related activities will be reviewed and quality checked daily after the completion of each visit. This is managed through electronic Quality Management System – Qualio implemented by the CRF Quality team in 2024. Moving from monthly to daily compliance reviews and adopting digital tools like Qualio lead to significant improvements in regulatory adherence, efficiency, and overall operational performance in the Quality team.
The UKCRF conference is an annual gathering of Clinical Research Facilities from across Ireland and the UK. It focusses on discussing new developments in the research sector, sharing experiences among CRFs, facilitating meetings between different departments, and providing networking opportunities.
Kishor Santhosh and Sruthy Thoniparambil Vinesh devised the new system and implemented it as a quality initiative in the CRF. Both Kishor and Sruthy are Quality and Regulatory Affairs Manager/ Officer at the facility.
Sruthy said:
“ Winning this prize at an international conference signifies that our work has reached a broader audience, showcasing the effectiveness of our practices. It highlights our achievements within the CRF network and could inspire other CRFs to adopt similar working cultures. This recognition underscores our commitment to excellence and sets a benchmark for quality across the network. It has also led to several commercial industrial sponsors taking notice of our quality processes, thereby building trust and ensuring that more sponsor clinical trials will be conducted at the highest standards in our CRF.”
Sruthy Thoniparambil Vinesh with the winning poster
The CRF is a state-of-the-art research facility supporting world class research across a wide range of clinical conditions. Since the opening in 2013, the CRF has facilitated 350 studies and 100 regulated clinical trials, with approximately 22,000 adult and paediatric engagements with clinical research. Several life changing gene therapy trials and treatments have also occurred in the CRF, resulting in partial or complete disease cure.
Quality is crucial in all aspects of clinical trial and clinical research management. It is essential to ensure the highest quality standards. To enhance our processes and improve overall quality of clinical trial/research, we have implemented an electronic quality management system and an effective model to capture quality events.
Understanding the quality assurance process and its technical aspects can provide valuable insights into how we ensure high standards and reliability in research. This knowledge underscores the importance of rigorous quality controls in various fields, ultimately benefiting public trust and safety.
Kishor Santhosh said:
“The impact of this implementation primarily lies in how a seemingly simple change can significantly enhance the overall process. We have implemented an electronic Quality Management System – Qualio, incorporating a Daily Quality Check where visit-related activities are reviewed and quality checked daily after each visit. This process modification has substantially improved the quality of the clinical research and trials conducted in the CRF, ensuring better outcomes for patients.”
Martina Hennessy, Director, Wellcome-HRB Clinical Research Facility, said:
"I am thrilled to see the CRF quality department receive this well-deserved recognition. Awarded by the UK and Ireland CRF Network, this prize is a significant achievement, especially given the highly competitive field of CRFs, many of which have more substantial funding structures than ours. This victory reflects the diligence and proactive thinking of our quality department. Congratulations to Kishor and Sruthy!"
For further information on the Wellcome-HRB Clinical Research Facility, you can visit this link:
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