Published: 01 August 2024
An increase in GP practices taking part in research last year enabled more people to take part in clinical trials on their doorstep.
Data from the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) shows that during 2023/24 more than half of all GP practices in England (56%) took part in clinical research supported by the CRN. A total of 3,606 practices were involved - a 12 percentage point increase compared to the previous year.
A total of 270,538 participants in England were recruited to CRN-supported research via primary care; this represents just over a quarter (26%) of all recruitment to CRN-supported studies. These studies focused on a range of conditions including cancer, dementia and depression.
GPs taking part in research does not affect their ability to carry out regular GP appointments. The additional time for GPs to carry out research outside their usual practice is funded either through commercial companies or by NIHR Local Clinical Research Networks.
Grandad credits invite to take part in research from GP practice as saving his life
Fred Mead, 78, is among a growing number of people taking part in health and care research via their local GP practice. He described taking part in the Best3 trial as the “luckiest day” of his life after it led to an early diagnosis of cancer.
The trial was funded by Cancer Research UK and supported by the NIHR. It tested a new ‘sponge-on-a-string’ to look for early signs of oesophageal cancer in people with heartburn symptoms.
Fred, a retired construction management consultant from West Devon, was invited to take part because his NHS records showed he was taking medication for long-term heartburn. Acid reflux, heartburn and indigestion can all be signs of cancer of the food pipe.
Two weeks into the trial, Fred was diagnosed with cancer. The test, known as the cytosponge, had found a tumour at the junction of his oesophagus and stomach.
Fred, a grandad of 12, said: “It was possibly the luckiest day of my life. The only reason I was contacted was because I was taking omeprezole. I was on the list and they asked if I would take part. I never imagined what the outcome would be.”
Oesophageal cancer has some of the worst survival rates in England. It is often caught late when it has spread to other parts of the body and is harder to treat.
As a result of taking part in the Best3 trial, Fred’s cancer was found early and he was treated with surgery.
He said: “It’s given me so far 5 years - and I hope another 50. I absolutely recommend that people get involved with research. I believe it saved my life.”
Over 5 million participants in the last 5 years
The new data shows more than 1 million participants took part in health and care studies across England in 2023-24. Research studies covered a range of conditions including depression, cancer and dementia, but also research to prevent disease and keep the population healthier and improve the provision of social care.
Last year saw an additional 92,500 participants take part in research compared to the previous year - an increase of 10%.
More than 5.4 million participants have been recruited to NIHR CRN-supported research during the past 5 years in England.
Professor Lucy Chappell, NIHR Chief Executive, said:
“Fred’s story shows how life changing taking part in research can be. Last year, just over 1 million participants across England took part in health and care research. Their contributions have a profound impact on the health and wealth of the nation.
“Without them we wouldn’t be able to develop better treatments, improve the way care is delivered, reduce health inequalities or protect future generations from disease. But there’s still more to be done to ensure that people from all backgrounds and communities, like Fred, can access new treatments and innovations like the cytosponge.
“By bringing research out of the hospital and into the community, we are providing greater access to research so more people can take part in studies that will one day improve the care they receive.”
Enabling patients across the country to take part in research in their local community is a key part of the NIHR’s Research Inclusion Strategy.
One of the best countries to host global trials
The CRN supported 6,074 studies in England in 2023/24. Over a third of these (39%) were commercial contract trials (1,765, 29%) and commercial collaborative studies (626, 10%), where companies work with a range of other partners.
Of the 1,045,282 participants who were recruited to CRN-supported research in 2023-24, nearly a quarter (251,471, 24%) took part in studies involving commercial companies:
- 140,793 (13%) were recruited to commercial contract studies
- 110,678 (11%) to commercial collaborative research
Recruitment to commercial contract studies rose significantly - up from 32,328 in 2022/23). This increase was largely due to a high number of people taking part in one large study called Discover Me, which recruited 102,925 participants in England.
Executive Director of the NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN), John Sitzia, said:
“Attracting commercial trials enables patients in the UK to have early access to innovative treatments that can improve, extend or even save their lives. Money from pharmaceutical and technology companies can be invested back into the NHS - funding crucial therapies and healthcare services, and supporting the capacity and capability of our research system.
“In 2023/24, the CRN maintained their support for commercial companies who bring their vital research to the UK. As the CRN transitions to the NIHR Research Delivery Network in 2024, new services and ways of working are being developed to attract more commercial companies to locate their research here for the health and wealth of the nation. We want to hear more stories like Fred’s where being part of research can save a life.”
Everyone can take part in research. The NIHR’s Be Part of Research service helps people to easily find and take part in studies across the UK.
Find a study or register to take part in research in your area at: www.bepartofresearch.uk.
For a summary of all of the NIHR CRN data for 2023/24 please visit our Annual Statistics web page.
For the latest UK data on clinical trials recruitment see the UK Clinical Research Delivery Performance Indicators Report. This report presents our latest system level data which includes studies on the NIHR Portfolio from the Devolved Administrations. For recruitment the latest UK KPI Report covers the period between July 2023 and June 2024.
About the NIHR CRN Annual Stats
- The NIHR’s annual research statistics provide the most comprehensive data around the state of health research across the country. NIHR plays a key role in supporting and funding clinical research in England - including recruiting patients into vital studies which can potentially lead to the development of better care and treatments ultimately making a difference to people’s lives.
- All data represents clinical research studies supported by the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN). Data are sourced from the NIHR CRN Portfolio of studies. The data does not include numbers of participants recruited into studies across other parts of the NIHR, particularly NIHR Biomedical Research Centres and Clinical Research Facilities.