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York Trials Unit joins Royal College of Surgeons Surgical Trials Initiative

Posted on 25 June 2015

The York Trials Unit (YTU), run by University of York’s Department of Health Sciences, has joined the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) Surgical Trials Initiative, becoming the sixth accredited Surgical Trials Centre (STC) in the UK.

York Trials Unit

Led by Professor David Torgerson, the Unit works with partners to undertake national, scientifically rigorous, randomised trials concerning the effectiveness and efficiency of health care interventions.

Established in 1996, the YTU has hosted and collaborated on a number of seminal trials leading to important changes in clinical practice.  For example Dr Catriona McDaid, Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Health Sciences, led a British Orthopaedic Association initiative to develop more trials in orthopaedics.

Comprising approximately 50 full and part-time staff, YTU is an interdisciplinary centre and a UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) registered trials unit. Directed by Professor Torgerson since 2002, with Professor Catherine Hewitt as Deputy, YTU staff includes trial methodologists, medical statisticians, health economists, trial managers, systematic reviewers, qualitative researchers, programmers, data managers and administrative and secretarial staff. 

Professor Torgerson said: “This is a marvellous opportunity for YTU to build on its existing experience of surgical trials.  We look forward to working closely with surgical colleagues to develop and deliver robust trials of surgery to benefit patients and the NHS.”

“Currently, less than two percent of government funding for medical research goes into surgical areas, despite the fact that one third of hospital admissions involve surgery. The surgical trials centres have a central role in redressing this balance and helping develop the evidence base for best surgical practice.”

The York Trials Unit joins the below STCs involved with the Initiative:

-          Oxford – Surgical Interventions Unit

-          Bristol Surgical Trials Centre

-          North West Surgical Trials Centre

-          Birmingham Surgical Trials Consortium

-          National Facial Oral and Oculoplastic Research Study Centre (London)

York Trials Unit will join these STCs in ensuring that new surgical innovations are introduced quickly, helping to reduce regional variation in care and drive up standards.

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