Following the national prioritisation process established by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic and the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust guidelines to help researchers delivering Covid-19 studies, the NIHR Brain Injury MedTech Co-operative has been focusing on pandemic related projects and research at a local and national level.
CORSAIR: COvid-19 Related Service Adjustment In Referral practice
Changes in response to the Covid-19 pandemic have had a direct impact on staffing levels and bed availability across the UK. Furthermore, guidelines for managing a number of conditions within the pandemic have been produced by local regional networks and professional bodies.
The Corsair project, supported by the Brain Injury MIC and the Royal College of Surgeons Covid-19 Research group, will evaluate the impact of such measures on the management of neurosurgical emergencies across 3 neuroscience centres in 2 UK regions, East of England and Cheshire & Merseyside. Through the analysis of referral documentation, changes in practice, and comparison with historical data, this will help to quantify the indirect morbidity and mortality from the Covid-19 pandemic on this group of patients.