Written Evidence Submitted by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust

(RRE0040)

Background to Guy’s and St Thomas’

Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT) is one of the largest hospital

trusts in the country, with a staff of over 22,000, and comprises of two of London’s oldest and best known teaching hospitals (St. Thomas’ Hospital and Guy’s Hospital), London’s two specialist heart and lung hospitals (The Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals), and the Evelina London Children’s Hospital. These hospitals have a long history, dating back almost 900 years, and  have been at the forefront of medical progress and innovation since they were founded. The hospitals have built on these traditions and continue to have a reputation for excellence and innovation. We provide a full range of hospital services for our local community, including community services for the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark. We also provide specialist services for patients from further afield, including cancer, cardiac, and kidney services.

We are part of King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC), a pioneering collaboration between one of the world’s leading research-led universities and three of London’s most successful NHS Foundation Trusts. Our AHSC is one of only eight in the UK and consists of King’s College London, and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals, King’s College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts. The AHSC employs 43,000 staff, trains 31,000 students each year, and has 4.2 million patient contacts each year. Our AHSC brings together the best of basic and translational research, clinical excellence and world class teaching to deliver ground-breaking advances in physical and mental healthcare.’

Why are we submitting evidence

We believe that delivering highest quality research is critical and that this is underpinned by reproducibility and accuracy. The Trust recognises its responsibility as a sponsor and research provider such that research carried out by our teams is supported by the highest levels of governance.

Clinical trials whether commercial or academic are subject to periodic audit and our teams maintain GCP accreditation and training. We as a sponsor carry out periodic checks and permit access to sponsors from other trials to carry out checks for data validation and review.

Researchers in our units have access to data analysis and statistical support, provided in part via our partner university, and clinicians involved in research provide probity statements and are subject to annual appraisal and GMC integrity rules. We have a policy of openness and honesty and a high reporting culture for regarding issues and incidents.

Concerning quality of data in publications we wish to emphasize that pressures to publish data swiftly and press releases prior to peer review of scientific data (as have been observed during the COVID pandemic) can have the potential to undermine research integrity and as such are to be discouraged. Peer review of publications provides an important opportunity for scientific rigor regarding published data. This peer review process is naturally the responsibility of academic journals.

(September 2021)