NCA Research & Innovation

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NCA Research & Innovation

Research & Innovation is an integrated service at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust.

Research helps to improve public health and patient care – it’s the way we improve treatments in the NHS and make a real difference to people’s lives. Our Research and Innovation department is recognised nationally and internationally as a leading centre for clinical trials and other studies, with more than 500 projects carried out here each year. Research links closely with clinical care and teaching to ensure patients and their wellbeing are at the heart of everything we do. Our research includes experimental medicine, which looks at the causes of disease, how certain treatments work and whether they are safe, as well as large scale clinical trials which test the effectiveness of new drugs and treatments. It means patients have access to some of the most cutting edge treatments and thousands of them volunteer to take part in our studies each year.. We work closely with the Universities of Manchester and Salford as well as other NHS organisations and also collaborate nationally and internationally with other experts in our fields.

15/01/2026

Congratulations to Dr Angeline Price, an advanced practitioner working within the frailty team at Salford Royal Hospital, who has been named as a Rising Star by the British Geriatrics Society . She is one of just three rising stars for 2025, and her award recognises the work of nurse and allied health professional members specifically.
She has worked across both acute and community settings, developing expertise in the care of older people with a focus on perioperative care. She recently completed an NIHR funded PhD exploring the impact of emergency laparotomy on older people living with frailty - a paper from her PhD was recently published in BMC Geriatrics, highlighting the challenges patients face across the perioperative and early recovery period.

14/01/2026

Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) is a national NHS England programme designed to improve the treatment and care of patients through in-depth review of services, benchmarking, and presenting a data-driven evidence base to support change.
We're proud that colleagues from Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust have recently published evidence that using GIRFT’s national pathway and guidance in cases of suspected cauda equina syndrome - a rare but severe spinal emergency - can result in fewer patients admitted to hospital.
The independent study, by Sai Viswan Thiagarajah, Edward Cornish, Amit Kapoor, Jeremy Telford, Thomas Langstroth and Kenneth Koo, has been published in the Neuroradiology Journal and is the first to evaluate the effect of implementing the GIRFT guidance.
Pictured are first author Sai Viswan Thiagarajah and senior author Kenneth Koo.
https://doi.org/10.1177/19714009251385226

09/01/2026

A simple blood test can tell doctors when it is safe to stop antibiotics in patients recovering from , a review has found.

The review included 21 studies involving more than 6,000 patients who underwent blood tests for procalcitonin, a biomarker that becomes elevated during bacterial infections. It has been published in the journal Anaesthesia today.

Its co-author is Prof Paul Dark from Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust and The University of Manchester. The analysis was undertaken by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester (ARC-GM), the NIHR Manchester HealthTech Research Centre in Emergency and Acute Care and the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), in collaboration with Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.

08/01/2026

A big thank you to Dr Raaid Jamil, our research star of the month at The Royal Oldham Hospital!
Dr Jamil is one of the gastroenterology in reach doctors and is supporting the ACESO study, for patients experiencing an acute severe ulcerative colitis flare. The research delivery team say the study is very time specific so they really appreciate Dr Jamil's helpful focus on sending referrals through and liaising with Co-Principal Investigators Dr Barnes and Dr Fox. Thanks to his and the in reach team efforts, they have managed to recruit two patients into the study, which is evaluating the clinical efficacy of Upadacitinib as a combined treatment with IV steroids in patients experiencing this condition.

07/01/2026

This time next week (Wednesday 14 January) our community research team will be at Neeli Mosque in Rochdale for its Healthy New Year event. There will be an opportunity to take part in the Genes and Health study, the world’s largest community-based study of genetics and health in British Bangladeshis and British Pakistanis. Its aim is to improve health in people from these communities and taking part is really easy - volunteers donate a spit sample and complete two short forms.
The Healthy New Year event runs from 10am-3pm and the team will also be at BACP Rochdale for a New Year New Me session on Wednesday 21 January.

06/01/2026

Congratulations to MRI radiographer Alex Tam who has been awarded an NIHR Pre-application Support Fund, recognising his potential as a future clinical academic in dementia imaging research.
Alex, an MRI diagnostic radiographer at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust has secured the National Institute for Health and Care Research support to help him refine his research proposal on cerebral perfusion MRI and its potential role in understanding and predicting cognitive decline and dementia.
Working in partnership with Professor Laura Parkes’ research team at The University of Manchester , Alex is exploring how perfusion-based MRI techniques could provide earlier and more informative biomarkers of dementia. The collaboration brings together imaging physics expertise and clinical insight, helping to bridge the gap between technical innovation and patient care.

30/12/2025

Congratulations to Dr Maeve Keaney, former consultant microbiologist at Salford Royal Hospital, who has been awarded an MBE for services to refugee doctors in Greater Manchester.

In 2003, Maeve founded the Refugee and Asylum Seekers Centre for Healthcare Professionals Education (REACHE), a pioneering programme that has supported hundreds of refugee and asylum seeker doctors and nurses to regain their professional qualifications and return to clinical practice in the NHS.

We're delighted that many of these colleagues have been active in research at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust and we send our warmest congratulations to Maeve and everyone who has worked with her and supported this programme that translates untapped clinical expertise into long-term value for the NHS.

She was also awarded a lifetime achievement award at the 2024 GM Health and Care Champion Awards.

25/12/2025

We'd like to wish a Merry Christmas to all - especially our colleagues, patients and those connected with the Trust!

Thank you to our amazing colleagues working today and across the festive period caring and supporting patients across our hospitals and community services.

22/12/2025

Well done to Will Gregory, who has been awarded a Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) fellowship. These prestigious awards recognise individuals whose exceptional contributions have shaped the profession through leadership, innovation, advocacy and dedicated service.
As a consultant physiotherapist at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust and vice president for health professionals at the British Society for Rheumatology, Will has been a tireless advocate for allied health professionals and his work has significantly improved care for patients with inflammatory arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis, and connective tissue diseases.

19/12/2025

Well done to the gastroenterology research team at Fairfield General Hospital, who have had some lovely feedback from people taking part in studies recently. Here are just a few of the comments:
* The staff have been brilliant and always keep in touch me about the study and how my health is.
* Everyone on the ward has been very nice and helpful! Very understanding also.
* The team delivered a positive, professional patient research experience. I was kept fully informed throughout this research study and felt listened to at all times. Kay was flexible and showed compassion with my availability for some of my appointments due to my work life balance commitments and my family's ill-health. I hope the outcomes from this research make a difference to others and I hope Kay is recognised for her excellent work and involvement in leading this research!
* Staff were really helpful and attentive.
Care Organisation

18/12/2025

Pioneering health visitor Ruth Haas Eckersley has been awarded a prestigious scholarship to become a Fellow of the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV).
Specialist SEND health visitor Ruth is one of just 24 exceptional health visitors from around the UK to join the Dame Elizabeth Fradd Leadership Programme. It’s the first time in a decade that the iHV has appointed new Fellows and it follows a highly competitive application process.
Ruth was NCA’s first health visitor to be a principal investigator on a research study and is the health visitor screening link co-ordinator in Rochdale Care Organisation , overseeing blood spot tests for newborns and making sure that babies arriving in the area from outside the UK are included. This ties into her interest in genomics, which also sees her being part of the national steering group to support health visitors involved in the Generation Study, testing babies for more than 200 conditions.

16/12/2025

Patients with low grade gliomas and their families heard how support is available throughout their brain tumour journey at a recent patient support and information day.
The event was organised by Professor Tina Karabatsou, neurosurgeon and clinical lead for neuro-oncology and was funded by charitable donations. A superb programme involved talks from professionals from Salford Royal, the Christie, and The University of Manchester as well as charities. It covered surgery, oncological options, seizure management, research opportunities, as well as quality of life topics including social prescribing, DVLA advice, and more. In an emotional finale, one of the patients gave an inspirational talk on how she is coping with her disease, and other patients had the opportunity to share their stories too.

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http://www.NCAresearch.org.uk/

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Our Story

Research helps to improve public health and patient care – it’s the way we improve treatments in the NHS and make a real difference to people’s lives. The Research and Innovation Department is a leading centre for clinical trials and other studies, with more than 500 projects carried out at the Northern Care Alliance’s five hospitals - Salford Royal, the Royal Oldham, Fairfield, Rochdale Infirmary and North Manchester General - each year. Research links closely with clinical care and teaching to ensure patients and their wellbeing are at the heart of everything we do. Our research includes experimental medicine, which looks at the causes of disease, how certain treatments work and whether they are safe, as well as large scale clinical trials which test the effectiveness of new drugs and treatments. It means patients have access to some of the most cutting edge treatments and thousands of them volunteer to take part in our studies each year. The Department also hosts Citizen Scientist , an innovative scheme which gives local people a way to find about and get involved in health research. We work closely with the Universities of Manchester and Salford as well as other NHS organisations and also collaborate nationally and internationally with other experts in our fields.