Portsmouth man praises QA Hospital research team after liver disease study
A MAN who has taken part in a study for liver disease has praised the research team for their support. Ron Butterfield, 69, has had problems with his liver since 2012 and recently joined the Queen Alexandra Hospital study, in Cosham.
Funded and supported by the National Institute for Health Research, it is investigating the effectiveness of a test to detect suspected cirrhosis in patients. Caused by long-term liver damage, cirrhosis is a scarring of the liver which prevents it from working properly. Ron was offered the opportunity to join the study, known as Elucidate, after meeting with a research nurse at QA Hospital. He agreed to take part, which involved having some extra blood tests, alongside his normal care, to help determine whether he had any liver damage.
Ron, from Portsmouth, said: ‘The research nurses I had were absolutely fantastic. The team I had were great and I couldn’t have a bad word said about them. ‘Research is the way forward. If you just stand still and not bother, then you’re never going to get cured. ‘If it wasn’t for the NHS, I dare say there’s a lot of people that wouldn’t be alive now.’
Since taking part in the study, Ron, who is retired, is enjoying a more active lifestyle. He added: ‘I play football with my daughter with no problems at all. I can run, run until my heart’s content.’ QA Hospital had its highest numbers of recruits for the 2017/18 financial year with 5,904 people. This is an increase for the fifth consecutive year and saw the hospital ranked fifth nationally for large acute trusts. Beverley Longhurst, a hepatology specialist research nurse who helped to deliver the Elucidate study, said: ‘We are very grateful to Ron for taking part in our research.
‘Without patients who are willing to get involved in clinical trials, treatments and patient care would not progress at all. ‘There is research happening in virtually every department within the hospital, and all studies need fabulous volunteers like Ron.’
