Taking EDGE Finance Training on the Road in Northern Ireland

EDGE colleagues Roberto Aguiar and Stevie Barre recently returned from their trip to Northern Ireland, where they delivered EDGE finance training across three Trusts, Western Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, and Southern Health and Social Care Trust.

The visit provided an opportunity to work directly with teams on the ground, supporting the rollout of finance tools that Stevie and EDGE Community Champion Mat Davis have developed and refined over the years to complement EDGE’s finance functionality. Stevie had the following words to say regarding this recent trip:

“Getting out on the road across all three sites and visiting the teams was a fantastic experience for both Roberto and me. Meeting everyone in person made a massive difference. Putting faces to names made it much more personable and gave the teams an opportunity to get to know me as their Client Manager.”

The engagement across all three sites was a real highlight for both Roberto and Stevie. Teams asked insightful questions, shared practical suggestions and provided valuable feedback on how the tools could support their day-to-day work. Roberto shared:

“It was also great to see first-hand how EDGE and the finance tools could help teams save time, improve efficiency and support cost recovery, helping to maximise funds available for reinvestment in research.”

The feedback given has already led to improvements, with Stevie and Roberto taking ideas from the sessions to further refine the tools and explore ways to make EDGE even more efficient.

With a warm welcome at every site and strong engagement from each team, the visit was a valuable opportunity to share knowledge, strengthen relationships and demonstrate the wider benefits EDGE can bring to finance and research management. From all of us at EDGE, we would like to say a big thank to you all of those involved across the Northern Ireland sites!

Stevie & Roberto pictured with Liz Macari, Research Administrator, Paulette Higgenbotham, Research Facilitator and Diane Mackey, Research Manager, Western Health and Social Care Trust

Stevie & Roberto pictured here with Roisin McKenna and Roisin McNulty, Pharmacy, Rachelle Moore, Research Manager, Denise McFarland, Nursing and Mairead McAreavey, Research Administrator, Southern Health and Social Care Trust

Stevie & Roberto pictured with Julie Hamilton and Carolyn Hewit, Research Finance, Fionnuala White and Chris Wright, Respiratory Research, Jo MacAllistar, Cancer Trials, Dermot Ryder, Angela Toner, Michelle, Roisin, Research Facilitator CRF and Andrew Sloane, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust

Welcome to the EDGE Community, East Cheshire NHS Trust

Next up, we are thrilled to welcome East Cheshire NHS Trust to the growing EDGE Community!

The NHS is always moving to more digital ways of working and East Cheshire NHS Trust are embracing exactly that by its move to EDGE for research management.

By bringing key processes, information and reporting into one platform, EDGE is helping them to work smarter and more effectively.  

We recently spoke to Hannah Hunt, Research Governance Facilitator (R&D) from the Trust who shared they are already utilising a range of EDGE features, despite only implementing the system in July earlier this year.

Hannah Hunt, Research Governance Facilitator (R&D), East Cheshire NHS Trust

Supporting finance management and invoice tracking

EDGE Finance is a key area Hannah highlighted to us as bringing real benefits:

“I have found the finance sections in EDGE helpful for keeping track of invoices and identifying any missed payments.”

By supporting financial tracking within EDGE, the system provides a centralised way for teams to keep track of important financial information and maintain greater oversight of payment activity.

A user-friendly experience for Administrators

Alongside its financial capabilities, the Trust also emphasised the ease of navigating EDGE:

“Our admin staff like the EDGE UI and find it is easier to navigate around compared to other systems we have used in the past.”

For all staff, having a system that is straightforward to use can help support day-to-day research management activities. A user-friendly interface can help teams access the information they need and work more confidently within the system.

Looking ahead: Workflows and Reporting

East Cheshire NHS Trust is also looking to expand how it uses EDGE, with a particular interest in study set-up workflows and the reporting functionality.

These areas could support the Trust in developing more structured processes for study initiation, while using EDGE reports to contribute to quality and performance monitoring. Hannah shared:

“I am looking forward to utilising the workflows on EDGE particularly the study set up workflows and using the EDGE report function for our quality and performance reporting.”

By exploring these additional capabilities, East Cheshire NHS Trust is continuing to consider how EDGE can support its evolving research management requirements.

Supporting the future of research management

From finance tracking and user experience to study set-up workflows and performance reporting, East Cheshire NHS Trust's experience highlights the range of ways EDGE can support research teams.

As the Trust continues to explore the platform's functionality, its focus on practical improvements and future development demonstrates the value of digital tools in supporting efficient, connected research management.

Stevie Barre, EDGE Programme Manager and East Cheshire’s Client Manager, had the following to say following their implementation:

“A special thank you goes to Natalie, Rachel and Hannah for all their support throughout the implementation. Natalie worked closely with us throughout the process, particularly with the data mapping, organising the training sessions and helping to keep everything on track. Rachel and Hannah also provided valuable support and helped make the process as straightforward as possible. We really appreciate the time and effort they all put into getting EDGE up and running and look forward to continuing to work with the team as they get more familiar with the system.”

We are delighted to have East Cheshire NHS Trust on board with EDGE and look forward to continuing working with them and supporting them along their EDGE journey. Welcome on board!

Welcome to the EDGE Community, Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust

Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust’s R&D Team

We are thrilled to welcome Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust to the growing EDGE Community!

As research continues to play an increasingly important role in improving patient care and developing new treatments and approaches, having robust systems in place to support research delivery is essential. By adopting EDGE, the R&D department at Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust is taking an important step towards strengthening its research infrastructure and enhancing the way research is managed and delivered across its services.

EDGE will provide the Trust with a central platform to support effective research governance and management, helping teams to streamline processes, monitor performance, and make informed decisions about resources. By bringing greater visibility and structure to research activity, EDGE will improve communication amongst teams and efficiency.

The implementation of EDGE represents more than simply introducing a new system. It is an opportunity to build on existing processes, support working together across research services, and establish a strong foundation for the Trust's future research ambitions.

Helping deliver high-quality research outcomes

We caught up with Jean Kinder, Senior Clinical Research Practitioner, to hear about the department's experience following the implementation of EDGE:

“Our R&D department fully endorses the use of EDGE as a key component of our research infrastructure. We believe the platform will support the effective governance, management, and delivery of clinical research, while enhancing transparency, performance monitoring, and resource planning.

Our department is committed to supporting its adoption across research services to help deliver high-quality research outcomes for patients, staff, and partners. We look forward to the benefits it will bring and thank EDGE for their expert guidance and support throughout our implementation journey.”

Making the most out of EDGE

Jean's comments highlight the Trust's commitment to making the most of EDGE and embedding it across its research services. The EDGE platform will support the R&D team as it continues to deliver high-quality research and contributes to better outcomes for patients and the wider research community.

Stevie Barre, EDGE Client Manager for Tameside shared the following:

“It is a pleasure to welcome Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust to the EDGE community. Their adoption of EDGE is an important step in supporting their research teams and improving the way research is managed across the organisation. A special thank you goes to Jean and Rebecca, who were instrumental throughout the implementation process.”

We are incredibly pleased to have Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust join the EDGE Community and look forward to supporting the team as they continue on their EDGE journey. Welcome on board!

Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust joins EDGE

The Greater Manchester clinical research landscape has just taken an exciting step forward. We are thrilled to announce that Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA) has officially deployed the EDGE clinical research management system across its vast healthcare footprint.

By adopting EDGE, NCA is empowering its workforce with centralised and real-time data visibility, which will allow research teams to cut through administrative red tape and dedicate more time to frontline patient care.

Immediate Impact and Early Impressions

While software migrations can often be daunting, the NCA team has hit the ground running. The system is already proving its value on the ground after only a few weeks into live operations. Fiona Bray, Research and Innovation Manager at NCA, highlighted how quickly the team has adapted.

“Although we’ve only been using EDGE for a few weeks, we’re finding it intuitive and easy to use. The KnowledgeBase has been very helpful, the forms functionality is invaluable for capturing study information, and reporting is quick and straightforward.”

This initial rollout is just the foundation of a broader digital strategy. Moving forward, the Trust plans to unlock the full depth of EDGE's capabilities to break down traditional silos between administrative and clinical staff.

“We’re looking forward to implementing the finance system and using EDGE for document sharing across R&I, research teams, and support departments,” Fiona explained.

Celebrating a Seamless Migration

Moving high volumes of historical study data requires seamless teamwork and meticulous planning. The successful launch was made possible by the dedicated collaboration between NCA’s project leaders and our own implementation specialists.

 “Thank you to Stevie, Nicky, and Roberto, whose support throughout the implementation process made the transition from our old LPMS smooth and well managed, ensuring that large data transfer was accurate and complete.”

NCA’s arrival injects fantastic new energy into our nationwide network of healthcare professionals. Every new Trust that joins our ecosystem brings unique insights that enrich the wider community, driving the collective standard of UK clinical trial delivery upward.

We are incredibly proud to partner with Northern Care Alliance for this next chapter in their research journey, and we look forward to supporting their continued growth.

Welcome to the community, Northern Care Alliance!