The Impact of the National Institute for Health Research on Regional Intensive Care Research: A Case Study from Cumbria and Lancashire

This article illustrates the regional experience of participation in research following the introduction of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Comprehensive Local Research Networks (CLRNs) and the Critical Care Specialty Groups. Prior to this, research was focused in academic centres and tertiary hospitals. Clinicians in smaller regional hospitals had little opportunity or support to participate in clinical trials or other important studies. CLRNs were introduced to ensure that NHS research funding is spread widely throughout the NHS, ensuring all patients can potentially benefit from participation. This maximises research efficiency and results are likely to be more generalisable to the whole NHS, which may lead to wider and more rapid translation of positive studies into clinical practice.