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!