https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/our-research/nihr-gosh-clinical-research-facility/welcome-to-the-nihr-gosh-clinical-research-facility/
Welcome to the NIHR GOSH Clinical Research Facility
The CRF is a very special place where our expert research team work with children and young people to find new medicines and treatments. You will get specialised research care and may get to try out new treatments before they are available anywhere else in the world.
We have the same sort of beds, machines and equipment you will see in all hospitals. But in our new unit we also have private bathrooms in each room and foldaway beds so that a grownup can stay with you if you spend the night with us. Best of all is the play area which is jam packed with toys, games and arts and crafts stuff for you to use whenever you want to.
We also have some special things for your parents and carers like a lounge with comfy chairs, a radio and a kitchen so they can make a hot drink and a snack.
Finally, you will see that the CRF looks different to other parts of the hospital because we have this spacey artwork all over! They are the CRF Crew, and you are our newest member. Which character is your favourite?
Finding your way to the CRF
The CRF is on Level 8, Southwood Building.
Take the lift or stairs to the second floor, come through The Lagoon (the GOSH canteen) and follow the signs to the Southwood Building. Take one these lifts to the eight floor, and you will see the bell to be let into our reception. There are also volunteers (wearing yellow t-shirts) who can help you if you need further assistance.
My first appointment
At your first appointment, you will meet with your research team and talk through the information you have been sent about your trial. They will go through when the trial will start, when we expect it to end and what will happen when the trial finishes.
If you and your grownups are happy to carry on, they will sign some paperwork and your nurse will:
- Measure your height and weight
- Take some blood
- Take a urine sample.
Our people
We have doctors, nurses and play workers just like any other part of GOSH but they might work in a different way. You will have your own nurse and a doctor, and you might have some other people coming to see you at the CRF like a physiotherapist, pharmacist, translator or a dietician. You will also meet lots of other nurses who will work together to look after you.
You might also see some other members of our team who deal with all of our paperwork behind the scenes. They won’t be looking after you, but they are all very friendly and can help you with thing like booking visits and processing expenses.
Our CRF is “nurse led” which means that our nurse team arrange all of your care when you are taking part in a trial.
At the CRF we have:
- senior research nurses (who wear dark blue uniforms)
- research nurses (mid blue unform)
- nursing associates (light blue uniform)
- health care assistants (light green uniform)
You can find out who the nurse in charge for the day is on the noticeboard just past reception.
If you need to speak to a senior nurse, you can ask to speak to our ward sister or one of our matrons.
We’d love it if you could stay with us forever, but clinical trials end for lots of reasons and we have a whole team who are there to support you and your family before, during and after you move on from the CRF.
They work closely with other teams at GOSH and other hospitals to make sure that you know what to expect and who will be looking after you when you leave our team.
This includes:
- Supporting patients moving onto adult services.
- Supporting patients who go onto be cared for at another hospital or another part of GOSH when their trial ends.
- Helping to set up homecare.
- Supporting patients with learning disabilities or additional needs.
- Creating easy-read guides and visual information.
We want you to feel safe and comfortable while you’re here with us. If you have earning disabilities and autism, we can make changes to help you take part in your trial more easily. These changes are called reasonable adjustments.
This includes:
- Helping you feel less anxious
- Planning your visits in a way that works best for you
- Making the environment calmer and safer
- Finding the best wat to communicate with you, like using pictures and stories
If you need any of these changes, just tell your nurse or email the Research Transition Team:
Our play area
This is our play area which is for you to relax and play. The Play service at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) supports opportunities for children and young people to play while they are receiving healthcare.
Our Play Worker, Anna can help you to find what you need and knows lots of games and fun things to keep you busy. All toys are sanitised after use so if you are returning items, please pass them to the team to be cleaned.
Our bedrooms
All of our rooms have a bed, chairs, a desk, a bedside cupboard for your things and their own private bathroom with a toilet and a shower. We have foldaway beds that your grownups can use if you need to spend the night with us.
We also have a board in each room where your nurse will write down the things that need to happen that day (blood tests etc.) so you can be prepared and tick them off as they get done.
Things for grown ups
The adults looking after you can use our new family areas like our Parents’ Lounge and Kitchen and Laundry. These are strictly adult only and children are not allowed in because of the boiling water.
The people paying for your research trial may be able to pay for food and drinks for you and your grownups while you are in the CRF, so please check with your nurse. If you are staying overnight, your grown up can also get a free meal from The Lagoon, which our reception team can help you with.
If you are having a general anaesthetic or staying overnight, you will be offered lunch or dinner. Your grownups can also make you some toast or cereal if you are with us for breakfast time. Grownups are welcome to store any food (no nuts please) in the fridge in our Parents’ Lounge.
Some other options for food are:
- The Lagoon on the ground floor is open every day and opening hours are clearly described outside. Within the Lagoon, you can buy a hot meal, as well as snacks and sandwiches. There is also a coffee shop which serves barista-made hot drinks, sandwiches and snacks.
- There are vending machines just outside The Lagoon where you can buy hot and cold drinks and snacks.
- The Brunswick Shopping Centre is less than 10 minutes away and has a Sainsbury’s Local, Waitrose and various restaurants including Itsu, Leon, Nando’s and Slim Chickens.
- Tesco Express is just opposite Russell Square Underground Station on Bernard Street.
- Many visitors also order deliveries from Just Eat, Uber Eats, Deliveroo etc. and meet the driver by the main entrance (remember to send the delivery to Guilford Street and not the one on Great Ormond Street which is closed!).
We'd love to hear what you think about the CRF so please ask our reception team for a "Friends and Family Test" to tell us about your care.
If you need to speak to someone right away or have a complaint, please contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).
The Complaints team are also available if you want to make a complaint:
Email: complaints@gosh.nhs.uk
Telephone: 020 7813 8402
Map of the CRF
