A Dorset County Hospital consultant has won an award for his work.

Dr Duncan Chambler has been recognised for his research within anaesthesia and intensive care medicine.

He was announced as the winner of the Early Career Consultant award by the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network (NIHR CRN).

The annual research awards, run in partnership with the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine (FICM), celebrate clinical leadership, excellence and innovation in the delivery of NIHR research studies.

Dr Chambler said: “I’m delighted to win the award, which recognises how non-academic clinicians can engage in the conduct of research trials and the dissemination of research findings into clinical practice.

“I have been a consultant for 18 months and in that time, I have taken on the role of principal investigator (PI) for my Trust to recruit to a multi-national trial studying two strategies for achieving ideal sedation in critically ill patients.

“I must credit our research department staff Sarah Williams, Patricia Williams, Sarah Horton and Stephanie Dukes for guiding me through my first PI role – they’ve taught me a great deal about the NIHR CRN, assessing feasibility and the ethics of consent. I encourage other newly appointed consultants to engage with their Research and Innovation departments as they will become better clinicians as a consequence.”

Dorset County is a research active hospital, running a number of NIHR portfolios studies each year.

Dr Zoe Sheppard, Head of Research at the Trust, said: “It is fantastic that Duncan has won this prestigious award and that his leadership, patient engagement, and delivery of research at Dorset County Hospital have been put on the map.

“Although it is very much a team effort, it is a testament to the time, effort, and enthusiasm that Duncan puts into research. He still finds the time to remain approachable and involve everyone. Furthermore, he is extremely thorough and takes ownership, going above and beyond. Congratulations Duncan – very well deserved.”

Professor Stephen Smye, an NIHR CRN National Specialty Lead added: “Critical care is a challenging environment for clinical research but the applicants to the joint FICM/NIHR CRN Research Awards described numerous impressive examples of excellent clinical research leadership, with impact extending beyond critical care to the wider clinical research community and NHS."

Dr Chambler will receive his award on December 6 when it is presented during a Intensive Care Society meeting in Liverpool.