The Pharmacy Practice Research Trust

The Pharmacy Practice Research Trust (PPRT) is an independent charity established in July 1999, by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain which supports and promotes the professional practice and development of pharmacists and develop the field of pharmacy practice research. The Trust is committed to disseminating the results from research to ensure that the knowledge is used to inform evidence-based changes to policy, practice and services. [http://www.news-medical.net/?id=39691] [http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/phrmy/newsandevents/news/welsh-language-services-in-community-pharmacies.html] [http://www.pharmj.com/editorial/20070428/society/p508practiceresearch.html] Fact|date=September 2008 It is currently based at the Lambeth headquarters of the RPSGB.

Methods

* Commissioning research that provides evidence and informs health policy and practice relating to medicines and their use.
* Building pharmacy practice research capacity and capability through training bursaries, postgraduate research funding, fellowships and grants.
* Engaging stakeholders, stimulating debate and spreading knowledge about medicines to the wider healthcare community and the public.
* Developing a new generation of academic leaders who can lead the debate and inform thinking, particularly within pharmacy.
* Publishing and disseminating results to ensure knowledge is turned into know-how for the benefit of patients and the profession of pharmacy.

The Trust Board and Research Team

The Trust is governed by a board of Trustees [http://www.pprt.org.uk/Home/TheTrustBoard.aspx] whose breadth of knowledge and experience covers the fields of pharmacy, medicine, health services, research, business, law, economics and policy. They also draw on the advice and help of a number of experts in relation to grant making and project management and oversight. The first Chair of the Trust Board was Sir Graham Hart, followed by the current Chair, P. L. Marshall Davies. [http://www.pharmj.com/Editorial/20050723/society/p122boardchanges.html] Fact|date=September 2008 The day to day running of the Trust and its activities is undertaken by a team of staff headed up by Sue Ambler and employed by the RPSGB and seconded to the Trust. [http://www.pprt.org.uk/Home/TheResearchTeam.aspx]

Research funding

The Trust supports research across pharmacy practice and the wider health services field, its biggest investment lies with its commissioned research programme. [http://www.pprt.org.uk/ResearchFunding/ResearchFundingHome.aspx] This rolling programme is informed by stakeholder research priorities, the changing political climate of healthcare delivery and research findings which identify research gaps and emerging issues.

In addition to commissioned research the Trust supports a number of smaller grants to develop research capacity. These enable small scale research projects that may not be eligible for funding from other bodies, to be undertaken. They are awarded to both academics and pharmacy practitioners.

Both commissioning and grant making processes are underpinned by a national competitive process and a robust research governance framework.

Trust Partners

The Trustees are committed to working with other stakeholders in order to turn the knowledge into know-how which improves policy, practice and services and supports the process of innovation in healthcare. The Trust is always looking to work closely with potential sponsors to identify and develop workable projects and to engender ownership of the results. The Trustees aim to involve all stakeholders and sponsors in events to discuss emerging and final results from the projects funded by the Trust. Below are examples of some of the Trust's existing partner organisations.

* Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain [http://www.rpsgb.org.uk] (RPSGB)
* Pharmaceutical Trust for Charitable and Educational Objectives (PTCEO)
* Galen Trust
* Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust [http://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/grants_awards/grants/leverhulme_trade_charities_trust/]
* The Centre for Pharmacy Workforce Studies [http://www.pharmacy.manchester.ac.uk/cpws/] , University of Manchester
* Centre for Public Policy Research [http://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/sspp/education/research/groups/cppr/] , King's College London
* Centre for Professional Ethics, Keele University
* RDInfo [http://www.rdinfo.org.uk/]

References

External links

* [http://www.pprt.org.uk/Home/Home.aspx Trust Homepage]