Enhancing multi-specialty research delivery

Commercial Research Delivery Centres play a key role in helping public and private sector healthcare organisations work closely together to achieve positive outcomes for our patients through better integration and effective coordination.

Clinical trials increasingly require specialist ophthalmology input, particularly for studies involving treatments with potential ocular side effects.

Historically, a lack of timely access to ophthalmology assessments could delay recruitment, create protocol deviations, or limit participation in certain trials.

The Ophthalmology service was established and brought under CRDC:GM to provide reliable, specialist ophthalmology support and ensure that patients enrolled in clinical trials receive appropriate monitoring and care.

What happened as a result?

In 2025/26, the Ophthalmology service facilitated 270 patient visits, supporting over 80 clinical trials. Additionally, 45 patient visits across 10 paediatric studies, and 20 patient visits across 9 adult studies were facilitated at MFT.
The service generated £141,680 in income, while also building capacity and capability to further strengthen and deliver the service in upcoming years.

Bringing this service under CRDC:GM resulted in it being extended to three clinics per week to meet demand. The service provided consistent, timely access to specialist assessments, enabling studies to meet protocol requirements, and ensuring patients were supported to remain on trials without unnecessary delays or interruptions.

What impact has it made?

Ophthalmology support is now embedded within trial delivery for studies requiring it, improving study feasibility and reliability. This has strengthened collaboration between organisations and enabled more complex trials to be delivered locally supporting a total of 225 patient visits across over 110 trials.

This change has also enabled patients to gain access to a broader range of clinical trials and received specialist monitoring to ensure their safety and wellbeing while being treated. The service also supported clinicians to deliver high-quality research care, with the team working towards national metrics during study setup locally.

Supporting research across Greater Manchester.

Bringing this service under the NIHR CRDC:GM strengthens integration with the wider research delivery infrastructure, enabling a more coordinated and strategic approach to supporting complex clinical trials. It aligns specialist ophthalmology support with regional and national research priorities, ensuring consistency in delivery standards, governance, and patient safety across sites.

Through the CRDC:GM framework, this service benefits from access to a skilled workforce, established processes, and performance oversight, which collectively enhance the efficiency and reliability of trial delivery.

This has enabled the Ophthalmology service to operate as part of a wider system, supporting not only individual studies, but also contributing to overall research performance across Greater Manchester.

This directly supports the national ambition to increase commercial research activity and participant recruitment, contributing to both improved patient outcomes and the wider health and wealth of the nation.