There is universal consensus, nationally and internationally, regarding the crucial role of primary care in health care delivery. Strong primary care delivers better health outcomes at lower costs. Irish government policy is driven by the 2017 Sláintecare Report, which states ‘the best health outcomes and value for money can be achieved by re-orientating the model of care towards primary and community care where the majority of people’s health needs can be met locally’. Building on previous successes, NUI Galway, RCSI, and the Irish College of General Practitioners established the HRB Primary Care Clinical Trials Network Ireland in 2015. Our vision is to support the creation of high-quality clinical evidence which improves patient outcomes in Irish primary care. Our high-level strategy prioritises the conduct of trials in chronic disease management, multimorbidity, and infectious diseases. These areas resonate strongly with the conceptual framework and policy direction of Sláintecare.
Over the past 5 years, we have supported 29 studies, including 20 registered trials, recruited almost 4,000 patients, and leveraged funds of over €9,000,000. We have successfully managed strategic challenges including a limited pipeline of trials and limited capacity among primary care researchers.
For the next five years, we will build on these foundations and increase the growth of our trial portfolio, build primary care trial capacity, develop a national trials agenda, and continue to enhance PPI in primary care research. We will expand our reach to include trials conducted in community settings by public health, nursing, and other allied health professionals, with an enhanced focus on implementation science.
Objective 1: To maximise the successful delivery of primary care trials in Ireland. We will increase the growth of our portfolio by 20%, to 35 studies, including 24 registered trials. Objective 2: To continue to build capacity for world-class clinical trials in Irish primary care. Through partnership with the ICGP grant scheme and expansion of our existing seed funding for investigator-led trials, we will provide financial support to at least 12 early career researchers. We will continue to promote primary care research education. We will provide seed funding for a stakeholder working group to develop a roadmap for implementation of a national research IT infrastructure. This has the potential to provide a step change in capacity.
Objective 3: To develop an agenda for Irish primary care clinical trials research. We will lead a priority setting partnership to develop the ‘Top 10’ research priorities in chronic disease management, and subsequently develop one relevant core outcome set (COS) for future trials in this area
Objective 4: To enhance PPI in primary care research in Ireland. We will continue to grow the capacity of the Primary Care CTNI PPI group, include PPI in network oversight and portfolio development, and continue our synergistic relationship with the national PPI network.
This plan will be continuously informed by our colleagues in primary care networks in Scotland, England, Germany, Norway, Canada and the US. We are confident this approach will support a vigorous, high quality and sustainable Primary Care CTN in Ireland.