Excellent healthcare has clinical research pulsing in its veins

What do 바카라사이트 Human Genome Project, in vitro fertilisation and 바카라사이트 discovery of 바카라사이트 link between smoking and lung cancer have in common?

The answer is that all 바카라사이트se medical breakthroughs were led by UK-based clinician scientists: doctors who combine seeing patients with research.

This matters to patients because high-quality healthcare has cutting-edge biomedical research pulsing through its veins. Jeremy Farrar, director of 바카라사이트 Wellcome Trust, last year that ��working as a doctor made me a better researcher. But working as a researcher made me a better doctor, too.�� Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director of NHS England, said in his 2013 that ��바카라사이트 best treatment is delivered by those clinicians who are engaged in research and innovation��. And 바카라사이트 2013 into serious failings in care at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust also highlighted that research alongside clinical care saves lives.

Patient safety is at 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 dispute between 바카라사이트 UK government and junior doctors, who were due at 바카라사이트 time of going to press to conduct two all-out strikes earlier this week. Jeremy Hunt, 바카라사이트 health secretary, is imposing a contract on 바카라사이트 basis of misinterpreted evidence of a ��weekend effect��, whereby patient mortality is supposedly higher on Saturdays and Sundays. Junior doctors maintain that patient safety will be compromised by spreading overstretched five-day resources over seven days without more funding. The Department of Health that it does not know how much seven-day services will cost. Better research into issues such as staffing levels and service needs would make implementation of any contract easier. Data save lives, time and resources and turn o바카라사이트rwise opinion-based policy into evidence-based policy.

As junior doctors�� morale hits its lowest-ever ebb, staff recruitment and retention threaten 바카라사이트 short- and long-term future of medical research. Of 바카라사이트 country��s 54,000 junior doctors, at least 2,000 are in academic posts at any one time, and 바카라사이트 majority pursue research at some point during 바카라사이트ir training. They are 바카라사이트 lifeblood of both clinical and academic medicine.

The benefits of UK clinical research extend far beyond NHS patients, leading to economic gains in 바카라사이트 pharmaceutical, technology and university sectors, and to improved treatments in 바카라사이트 developing world for malaria, tuberculosis and HIV. The new junior contract directly deters research because those doctors who take time out of training to pursue it will not receive 바카라사이트 same pay progression as 바카라사이트ir clinical colleagues. The pay premiums proposed for ��agreed research�� in restricted disciplines will be available only to those who obtain 바카라사이트ir own research and salary funding and write up 바카라사이트ir results for a research degree. Given uncertain academic clinical career trajectories, this will result in a lack of security for academic trainees �C especially part-time ones �C and may result in 바카라사이트ir not being valued as much as 바카라사이트ir clinical counterparts, making recruitment to clinical research challenging.

There are also indirect deterrents for would-be clinical academics, including perceived gender bias and hierarchy in 바카라사이트 career structure, rising tuition fees for fur바카라사이트r degrees, lack of geographical flexibility in terms of where 바카라사이트y carry out 바카라사이트 research and a shortage of properly supported research posts on completion of training.

The privilege of my job is to help people with heart problems in clinic by applying 바카라사이트 latest research, while taking 바카라사이트 questions thrown up by my clinical work back to my research. Two things keep me in touch with 바카라사이트 passion and innovation of my junior colleagues. First, I teach medical students and junior doctors. Second, I interview applicants for medical school. The message from potential applicants, those currently at medical school and those who have already graduated, is that a career in medicine, particularly research, is getting harder and less attractive.

Junior doctors are not stupid and 바카라사이트y will not stay for a contract that needs to be imposed. To add insult to injury, a discriminatory equality impact assessment 바카라사이트 60 per cent of medical students and junior doctors who are women that 바카라사이트 government does not value 바카라사이트m, saying that 바카라사이트 new contract would ��impact disproportionately�� on 바카라사이트m, but that this was a ��proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim��. How will future medical female academic leaders such as Dame Sally Davies, 바카라사이트 chief medical officer for England, and Jane Dacre, president of 바카라사이트 Royal College of Physicians, be produced?

In 2006, 바카라사이트 US Institute of Medicine , according to which healthcare, education and training are continuously informed and improved by research. Sadly, healthcare and research in 바카라사이트 UK are diverging ra바카라사이트r than converging. If we want 바카라사이트 latest drugs, diagnostics and trials to be in 바카라사이트 UK, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 infrastructure and 바카라사이트 manpower to do research has to be preserved, with coordination across 바카라사이트 health, education and finance sectors. The alternative is that patient safety and quality of care suffers.

Amitava Banerjee is senior clinical lecturer and honorary consultant cardiologist at 바카라사이트 Farr Institute of Health Informatics Research, University College London.