The Centre for Academic Primary Care is a leading centre for primary care research and teaching in the UK, and a member of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) School for Primary Care Research.
Many of our colleagues are clinicians, including GPs, nurses and pharmacists, who conduct research alongside their routine clinical practice. Many others are health service researchers, social scientists, statisticians, behavioural scientists and infectious disease experts who work closely with frontline health professionals doing research to improve health care services and population health.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in line with guidance from the NIHR and Department for Health and Social Care, clinical colleagues are increasing the time they spend in clinical practice to support non-academic colleagues with the increased demand on services. Others are responding to funding calls to answer specific research questions to combat COVID-19.
We are immensely proud of our Centre members and their willingness to respond rapidly to support health services and patients at this critical time. Everyone who works on the health care frontline is at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 and they have our admiration and support.
We will share further information about our response to the pandemic, and the research we are doing to aid the extraordinary international scientific effort to understand and ultimately defeat this unprecedented public health threat.
We also acknowledge the huge impact that COVID-19 and the social distancing measures now being implemented across the country have had, and are having, on the University student populations. Many of our staff are involved in teaching undergraduate medical students and students at Masters and PhD levels.
There are currently discussions at a national level to explore whether it will be possible to qualify final year medical students early so that they can then be employed in clinical support roles in the NHS ahead of the normal start date for new junior doctors on 1 August. We would expect that Bristol will be fully engaged in the implementation of this national initiative once details have been finalised and approved.
We are following the University’s policy with regard to changes to teaching, examinations and term times and are ready to support students through this difficult time.
For COVID-19 updates from the University of Bristol see:
For more information, see:
- Public Health England’s website
- The Department of Health and Social Care’s statement on the impact of COVID-19 on research funded or supported by the NIHR.