Research in the NHS ‘on a precipice’, government warned

Peers raise alarm over declining numbers of clinical academics and limited time for research

Peers have called for urgent action to reverse an “alarming” decline in the clinical academic workforce, as they warned that research in the NHS is “on a precipice”.

The warning from the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee follows the peers’ inquiry into clinical academics in late 2022, during which witnesses said research was not being regarded as a priority in the overstretched NHS, which is struggling to keep up with demand.