The Sagittarius programme creates a new model of care for patients experiencing a relapse (or flare) of ulcerative colitis (UC): a chronic inflammatory disease of the large bowel. The bringing together of University researchers and a specialist NHS team earned the Sagittarius team the ‘Award for Excellence’ at the OUH Staff Recognition Awards ceremony.
Delivered through a collaboration between NDORMS, Oxford University Hospitals and the NIHR Experimental Medicine Clinical Research Facility (EMCRF), Sagittarius has established dedicated weekly clinics for patients who have a relapse of their UC, where consultant gastroenterologists, specialist nurses, endoscopy teams and researchers work side by side. Now in its third year, the programme enables patients to receive rapid assessment and treatment for their condition while simultaneously having the opportunity to contribute to research that could improve outcomes for future patients.
The integrated service represents the first time a routine NHS service has been delivered within the EMCRF, creating a new model of care that benefits patients, clinicians and researchers alike.
Patients experiencing a relapse of UC are now able to book an appointment to the ‘one-stop-shop’ rather than waiting for standard NHS endoscopy lists. It gives them access to specialist assessment, avoids waiting several weeks for a flexible sigmoidoscopy (examination of the colon) and enables treatment decisions within one to two weeks, reducing delays that previously led many to rely on prolonged steroid treatment while waiting for investigations. At the same time, patients who choose to participate in research (meaning most patients) can provide biological samples during their routine appointment, helping researchers to better understand why some people respond to advanced treatments, often costing thousands of pounds per year, while others do not.
Julia Pakpoor, Gastroenterology Clinical Research Fellow at the Kennedy Institute NDORMS, said: ‘This award recognises what can be achieved when clinical teams, researchers and professional support staff work together with a shared purpose. This approach creates a true win–win–win partnership: patients receive faster, high-quality care; the NHS gains extra capacity; and the University advances translational research.
Professor Simon Travis, Professor of Clinical Gastroenterology at the Kennedy Institute said: 'Sagittarius was built around a simple idea: patients deserve rapid, expert care when their disease flares, and every clinical encounter is an opportunity to learn how we can improve treatment in the future. The OUH Award for Excellence celebrates the multidisciplinary team behind Sagittarius, who’ve shown that it's possible to improve the experience for patients while generating discoveries that have the potential to change clinical practice.'
Building on its success, the team is now exploring how the model can be expanded to other inflammatory and immune-mediated conditions, including Crohn's disease, coeliac disease, colorectal cancer, respiratory medicine and rheumatology, creating a template that could guide future NHS-University partnerships.