An important national clinical trial that launched at Bedford Hospital in March 2023 has celebrated the recruitment of over 1,000 participants.
The trial, led by Nottingham Clinical Trials Unit (NCTU) and funded and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), is testing a new way of screening expectant parents for Strep B to find a way to reduce the risk of harm to babies.
Strep B (Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is carried by one in four pregnant women/birthing people, usually without knowing. If you have Group B strep whilst pregnant, your baby will usually be healthy but there’s a small risk it could spread to your baby during labour and make them ill (1:1,750 pregnancies) and an extremely small risk that you could miscarry or lose your baby.
The national trial compares different types of screening to assess whether this reduces the risk of Group B Strep infection in newborn babies, compared with current standard testing. This will help researchers determine the best time in the pregnancy to administer treatment.
The trial launched at Bedford Hospital in March 2023 and as of November 2023, 1,000 participants have been recruited. This momentous achievement is thanks to the joint efforts of both the Maternity and Research & Development teams working in partnership.
At Bedford Hospital, women/birthing people are offered an antenatal swab which is processed in the lab and if the test is positive, they are offered antibiotics in labour.
Celebrating reaching the 1,000 participant milestone, the team shared the wonderful news that there are now 1,220 women and birthing people registered.
Not resting on their laurels, the team has set itself a new target of reaching 1,350 participants by March 2024.
Tara Pauley, Head of Midwifery at Bedford Hospital said: “I am so proud of all the team’s inspirational motivation to support research in the clinical setting. This important national research trial has been such a success due to everyone’s commitment across a number of departments, and will further add to the evidence base for best outcomes for babies.”
Lead Clinical Research Nurse for Bedfordshire Hospitals, Melchizedek Penacerrada said: “After a long and arduous journey into GBS-3, I’m so pleased and humbly honoured, not only, that we have reached more than a thousand participants in this research trial, but most of all that we have an opportunity to have had a huge part in saving babies’ lives.
“I cannot thank our Trust Executives, Communications, Maternity, Microbiology and Research teams enough.”
Dr Muhammad Nisar, Director of Research & Development said: “It has been fantastic to support such an important study at Bedfordshire Hospitals! The team worked tirelessly and achieved an incredible feat.
“What’s impressive is that it has led to change in service design with huge potential to deliver better clinical care – this is what research is about. Well done to everyone involved and we look forward to achieving the next milestone.”
Pictured: (Top row right – left) Melchizedek Penacerrada, Lead Clinical Research Nurse for Bedford Hospital; Siobhan Perry, Microbiology Laboratory Manager; Dr Muhammad Nisar, Director of Research & Development; David Carter, CEO; Dr Babur Javaid, Deputy Director of Research & Development; Dr Mohammad Wasil, Associate Director of Research & Development; Rachel Lorusso, Clinical Research Nurse; Golda Joseph, Clinical Research Nurse; Patricia Marielle Tolentino, Clinical Research Nurse. (Third row behind) David Goddard, Research & Development Administrator; Carina Galpin, Research & Development Officer. (Bottom row right – left) Rochelle Leal, Clinical Research Nurse; Sally-Anne Hurford, Improvement and Innovation Lead at NIHR CRN EoE; Tara Pauley, Head of Midwifery at Bedford Hospital; Becky Adcock, Research Midwife; Charlotte Jones, Antenatal Clinic Manager; Retno Wulandari, Clinical Research Practitioner
