Research information for patients

What is clinical research?

Clinical Research is a way for health professionals to gather evidence to improve treatments and care for patients in the NHS.  Doctors use clinical research studies to compare current treatments with potentially better ones, so that we can keep improving the care we offer NHS patients.

Clinical research also helps to prevent disease, or delay its progression, providing wider benefits to the population as a whole and understanding patients’ perspective of their quality of life is integral to trial designs.

How is the quality of research ensured?

The Department of Health has established a framework for the governance of research to ensure that the public can have confidence in, and benefit from, quality research in health and social care.  The Trust’s Research Department is responsible for ensuring that any research undertaken through our organisation is conducted to these standards.  A Committee reviews all projects thoroughly to ensure that they are appropriate for our organisation.  Permission is then granted for research involving our patients, service users, carers or staff, before the research starts.

Participating in research studies

It is possible that you may be asked to take part in a research study. There are many varied types of research involvement; you may only be asked to complete a questionnaire, or to have blood tests, or to take medication. Whatever your level of involvement, your participation is always voluntary and you are able to withdraw from a research study at any time, without giving a reason, and without it affecting your normal treatment.

Current research

We support research in a number of specialties across the range of our clinical services.  Between April 2013 and March 2014, our Trust recruited 719 participants, including some NHS staff, to 37 studies across clinical specialities of Blood, Cancer, Cardiovascular, Diabetes, Mental Health, Stroke and Rehabilitation, Musculoskeletal, Renal & Urogenital, Ophthalmology, Paediatrics, Reproductive Health and Childbirth and Respiratory.