This hybrid position, which spans Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT), Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust (LCHT) and primary care, is designed to deliver a more integrated approach to research across the city. It also aligns with the government’s new 10-year strategy to strengthen community care and expand the use of digital research in the NHS.
Sarah Purchon has recently taken up this exciting new role. Her focus is on uniting services across Leeds and making it easier for patients to take part in research and for the health system to deliver joined-up support.
“I am in the research arm in both of the trusts and my role is to integrate research across Leeds, to try and create a system where research will be accessible for our patients, no matter where they are in the system not just in hospital.”
“A patient may have a trial that starts with LTHT, but also then has involvement of the community care and general practice as well.”
Sarah’s background in general practice nursing has prepared her well for this new challenge. She now works to shape better research links between hospital trusts, community healthcare and GP practices, ensuring patients’ access is more seamless.
Integration also means addressing practical challenges around governance, IT and data sharing, whilst also making sure research access is inclusive and representative.
“Another big area of this is about health and inequality and making sure we are reaching those underserved populations and that we have the right diversity in our research.”
Alongside this, Sarah is supporting the vaccine innovation project, which is testing how an integrated model can be used to deliver trials more effectively.
“We are just starting within the vaccine innovation programme looking at a trial that potentially will be able to use an integrated model to get it up and running.”
Looking ahead, Sarah is keen that colleagues across Leeds share their ideas for improving research to meet future healthcare challenges.
“I always want people to email me and tell me if they have a trial or if they have an idea of how things could work better. Every idea counts, we need to think outwardly.”
Her vision reflects national priorities too, as the government’s 10-year plan sets out a move towards more community-based and digital approaches to ease pressures on the health service.
“This is the way everything’s moving, moving towards community, moving towards digital all the things that have come up in that plan tell us this is the way forward.”