Clinical Trial Research Support Hub

The Australian Teletrial Program will improve access to, and participation in, clinical trials for rural, regional and remote Australians. Teletrials is a proven model and uses telehealth to connect rural, regional and rural (RRR) clinical trial site clusters. The Australian Teletrial Program is supported by funding from the Australian Government under the Medical Research Future Fund. The Program has been funded $75.2 million over five years to bring clinical trials closer to home for patients in Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Clinical Trial Research Support Service -Australian Teletrial Program (CTRSS-ATP)

The Clinical Trial Research Support Service (CTRSS) was developed, funded and established by the Victorian Government in 2019, with a focus on non-cancer clinical trials in a pilot study across five regional health services, including Barwon Health. During the pilot, the program helped build trial capability and capacity to deliver commercially sponsor and Investigator initiated/collaborative group trials across the organisation.  In 2020, the CTRSS program was extended through funding for the Australian Teletrial Program (ATP) via the commonwealth MRFF Rural, & Remote Clinical Trial Enabling Infrastructure Grant. The ATP aims to bring clinical trials to people living in the regional, rural & remote areas in the partner jurisdictions.

As a participating site in this program, Barwon Health has successfully achieved organisation-wide trial readiness, and are constantly growing trial activity by focussing on training, quality and safety, communication, support, and data management.  Through the CTRSS-ATP program, we have assisted several non-cancer departments in trial set-up, administration and management. We have contributed to site feasibilities, contract/budget negotiations, and regulatory submissions. Most importantly, we have facilitated training and education for clinical research staff, thus contributing to the trial workforce in the organisation, and assisted in the set-up of clinical trials in several non-cancer therapeutic areas. We are currently exploring opportunities to either start a new trial or convert an existing trial to a Teletrial under this program.

Resources

Australian Teletrial Program poster

The Australian Teletrial Program

Australasian Tele‐trial Model

Clinical Trials and Research - Teletrials

Medicines Australia - Teletrials

VCCC Alliance - Teletrial Toolkit

Health Workforce Locator

Contact

For support and guidance on site feasibilities, regulatory submissions, training for clinical researchers, and to set up a Teletrial at Barwon Health, contact Beena Jeevan Raj, CTRSS-ATP Project Lead at [email protected] or (03) 4215 0742