NCA Research & Innovation

27/03/2026

Bury's research star of the month Zoe Thomas is a one-woman tour de force of research engagement at Fairfield Hospital's intensive care unit! She is committed to ensuring all patients admitted to ICU have the opportunity to participate in research and she works really well with clinical staff who respond brilliantly to her tireless enthusiasm. She has also taken the initiative as a principal investigator in her first study, which looks at how families are involved in the decision making process on ICU, a really important topic.

26/03/2026

We're so grateful to our research stars of the month at Salford Care Organisation , Claire Keatley (clinical trials pharmacist) and Anne-Marie Peers (chief pharmacy technician – specialist services) who have provided dedicated support to research for years!
Their expertise helps us expand research, including early phase review and approval of studies. They both have such a positive can do attitude and put patients at the heart of everything they do and each decision they make. They are an asset to Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust and an absolute pleasure to work with.

25/03/2026

Congratulations to consultant neurologist David Rog, who has become a professor at The University of Salford , recognising his expertise in the care of people living with multiple sclerosis (PLwMS) and his major contributions to research and education.
Professor Rog started work at Salford Royal in 2007, leading a team assessing and following up more than 3,000 PLwMS receiving disease modifying treatment.
Last year he helped launch the Greater Manchester Multiple Sclerosis Information Network (GMMSIN) with colleagues at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust , the University of Salford and the Multiple Sclerosis Trust , a pioneering local digital network to support people newly diagnosed with MS. A linked research study will evaluate the programme.
Professor Rog is a principal investigator on MS clinical trials, the national coordinator for three disease modifying treatment pregnancy registries and collaborates with the UK MS Register, Optimise and TONiC research groups.

24/03/2026

Congratulations to Professor Paul Dark, who has been reappointed as an National Institute for Health and Care Research senior investigator – recognising him as one of the most prominent researchers funded by the NIHR and an outstanding leaders of patient and people-based research.
He is one of just 16 reappointed senior investigators, with 43 new appointments also announced. Collectively, senior investigators help guide research capacity development and enhance the career paths of NIHR researchers.
Prof Dark is a critical care consultant at Salford Royal Hospital, part of Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust , a professor of critical care medicine at The University of Manchester (UoM) and a key researcher in the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre's respiratory theme.
He has a particular interest in sepsis, novel diagnostics, the development of integrated pathways of care and improving global humanitarian responses. Earlier this year, Prof Dark co-authored a study which showed a simple blood test can tell doctors when it is safe to stop antibiotics in patients recovering from sepsis.
Prof Dark was NIHR Clinical Research Network's national deputy medical director (2022-24) and as a former NIHR national specialty lead for critical care (2015-22), he played a key role in the research response to the covid-19 pandemic, advising the Department of Health and Social Care on urgent public health research into vaccines, treatments and diagnostic tests.

19/03/2026

ICYMI Dr Tamara Griffiths appeared on the BBC to highlight the risks of sunbed use. As well as being President of the British Association of Dermatologists, she is a consultant dermatologist and researcher at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust and honorary senior lecturer at The University of Manchester. Alarmingly, research shows that using a sunbed before the age of 35 increases the risk of melanoma by 75 per cent.

Tamara Griffiths, President of the British Association of Dermatologists, featured on BBC Morning Live today alongside consumer expert Rebecca Wilcox, discussing the risks associated with sunbed use.

During the segment, Dr Griffiths highlighted how sunbeds can damage the skin…and the risks associated with UV radiation.

Tamara said, “any benefits sunbeds may have are outweighed by the health risks, and skin cancer issues due to UV exposure might not become apparent until years later.”

Using a sunbed before the age of 35 increases the risk of developing melanoma by 75%.

With the government announcing plans to tackle businesses that illegally allow under-18s to access commercial sunbeds as part of the National Cancer Plan, this reinforces the need to remain cautious of sunbed advertising on social media.

Watch the full video here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002ss8q/morning-live-series-7-18032026

18/03/2026

Congratulations to Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust lead children’s learning disability nurse Dr Louise Cooper, who has successfully completed her PhD on fathers’ experiences of support with their autistic children.
She focused on the additional challenges facing fathers whose children show behaviours of concern, which include feeling alienated from existing support groups and difficulties having the capacity to solve problems and negotiate boundaries.
As part of her PhD at the University of Sheffield, she set up support group Fathers of Autistic Children Empowered to Support (FACES). It holds monthly walk and talk sessions at Clifton Country Park where both fathers and their children experience support within a relaxing environment.
Her paper 'Supporting fathers of autistic children through ‘walk and talk’ groups' has been published in Learning Disability Practice.

17/03/2026

Here's Prof Petra Hamerlik talking about her research to develop a simple blood test to detect and monitor glioblastoma. She is also part of the brain tumour theme at the Geoffrey Jefferson Brain Research Centre, in which Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust is a key partner.

16/03/2026

Exciting research news this morning on work we're supporting to develop a blood test to detect brain tumours and monitor their progress. Nearly 300 volunteers have taken part in this ongoing study at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust and we are hugely grateful to all of them and the colleagues who have contributed to this research.
Students from Manchester Metropolitan University on their placement years in our inpatient research delivery team are among those who've worked on this, a brilliant experience for them!

A new blood test is being developed by scientists to help detect brain tumours

15/03/2026

Reminder - Professor Konstantina (Tina) Karabatsou will celebrate her MAHSC honorary clinical chair with a lecture about her professional and personal journey, clinical and research areas tomorrow, Monday 16 March, noon-12.30pm.
She has been a consultant neurosurgeon at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust since 2007 and has been the lead clinician for the neuro-oncology service in Greater Manchester since 2009. She led the team in being awarded the prestigious status of designated Centre of Excellence by the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission.
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Professor Konstantina (Tina) Karabatsou will celebrate her MAHSC honorary clinical chair with a lecture about her professional and personal journey, clinical and research areas on Monday 16 March, noon-12.30pm.

She has been a consultant neurosurgeon at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust since 2007 and has been the lead clinician for the neuro-oncology service in Greater Manchester since 2009. She led the team in being awarded the prestigious status of designated Centre of Excellence by the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission. She is also the lead clinician for cranial neurofibromatosis type 1, as part of one of the two UK centrally commissioned multidisciplinary services, and is research active.

Prof Karabatsou believes patients and their families must be the focus of service and brain tumour research and has also organised well-attended patients support and information days.

12/03/2026

New insight into problems after stroke - important research here.
Researchers have found that tracking changes in a protein linked to inflammation (interleukin-6) after a could help identify people at risk of later memory and thinking problems (cognitive problems). The study also suggests that smoking may make people more at risk of memory and thinking problems in association with ongoing inflammation after a stroke.
The team, including Prof Craig Smith (pictured) followed patients treated for an ischaemic stroke at Salford Royal Hospital, part of Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust.
The research is part of the Stroke IMPaCT study, a network of European and North American researchers who are working to discover how inflammation and immune responses contribute to post-stroke cognitive decline.

10/03/2026

A big thank you to our research star of the month at Salford Care Organisation , senior clinical fellow Dr Zarak Khan for his dedicated work on the HEALS2 study, looking at wound healing after the removal of keratinocyte cancers (a type of skin cancer) on the lower leg. He works closely with the cancer research nursing team to make sure the process is well organised and straight forward and communicates exceptionally well with patients, taking the time to explain the study and procedures clearly and reassuringly. He is always polite, respectful, and professional, and patients respond very positively to his approach. The team say he has outstanding clinical expertise and a strong understanding of research principles.

09/03/2026

Bury and Rochdale Podiatry Services are acting as trial sites for an NIHR-funded project evaluating smart insoles designed to alert users to abnormalities in foot temperature and pressure.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust patients with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy are being recruited to the Path Active study, with the aim of improving patient outcomes while also helping to reduce overall workforce demands.
The study is one of 24 supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Invention for Innovation (i4i) Funding At the Speed of Translation (FAST) programme and will be led by James Linsley in Bury and Katie Duncan in Rochdale. They are pictured with sponsor representative Lise Pape and patient advocate Andy Lavender.