New figures show more people than ever taking part in research in the West Midlands

More people than ever took part in research right on their doorstep last year, according to new data released today. 

In the West Midlands, 70,739 participants took part in NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) supported research in 2023-24. This is a 34% increase over the previous year. They got involved in research for a number of conditions including depression, cancer and dementia. 

More than 6,000 of them were recruited to commercial studies, more than double the figure for the previous year.

The CRN has helped recruit more than 5.4m participants during the past five years with more than 400,000 of these coming from the West Midlands.

Over the last year,  a total of 1,045,282 participants across England took part in health and care research. This is the fourth year in a row that around a million participants have been involved in research supported by the NIHR CRN.

Nationally, one in four people who participated in research in England in 2023-24 were recruited via primary care, including GP practices and care homes, according to the NIHR.

Dr David Shukla, Deputy Clinical Director and Lead for Primary Care Research at the Clinical Research Network West Midlands said:

“We have been working hard to increase the number of  GP practices recruiting to clinical trials as it has benefits to both participants and practices. With patients being known to the staff leading the study, they already have a level of trust with the practice.

“Staff are quickly able to screen those who are eligible for a trial and it also means patients can have treatments that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to access. We have increased the number of research active practices by 33% year on year.”

Participation figures continue to exceed pre-pandemic levels both nationally and regionally.

The data relates to the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) Portfolio studies. It shows that almost 60% of all GP practices (3,606) in England took part in CRN-supported research in 2023-24. This is a 12 percentage point increase compared to the previous year.

A total of 270,538 participants recruited to research came via primary care - 26% of the total number of participants recruited to research in England in 2023-24. 

Care homes also played an active part in research. Last year 11% of care homes in England (210) took part in research that will improve adult social care, including studies on isolation for residents with sight loss.

This means more people than ever had the opportunity to take part in research and access new treatments and healthcare practices right on their doorstep. 

Executive Director of the NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN), John Sitzia, said: 

“Our annual data shows health and care research is becoming more embedded in communities. This enables people from a variety of backgrounds to get involved and ensures everyone can access new treatments and healthcare practices through participation in research.

“Whether it’s taking part in a drug trial at a local hospital or completing an online survey, every contribution helps improve health and wellbeing in the UK and beyond. So we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has taken part in a health and care study last year. I hope that everyone who participated feels a sense of pride for their contribution.”

Everyone can take part in research, whether they have a health condition or not. 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 the West Midlands  at: www.bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk. 

ENDS

For more information, please contact Claire Hall on 077775 800227 or email claireanne.hall@nihr.ac.uk.

Notes to editors

• All data represents clinical research studies supported by the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN). It counts the number of participants recruited into studies supported by NIHR CRN in the financial year 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.
• 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, which are collated annually
• The Research Delivery Network will replace the Clinical Research Network on October 1 2024

• 2023-24 saw an additional 92,500 participants take part in research compared to the previous year - an increase of 10%. This increase was largely due to a commercial trial called Discover Me. The study recruited 102,925 participants - accounting for 111% of the additional 92,500 participants who took part in research in 2023-24
• The process of GPs undertaking research does not affect the capacity for regular GP appointments. Research in General Practices is funded either by commercial companies or by the NIHR Local Clinical Research Networks - both of which cover the additional time needed for GPs to carry out research outside of their usual practice

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)

The mission of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. We do this by:

• Funding high quality, timely research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care;
• Investing in world-class expertise, facilities and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services;
• Partnering with patients, service users,carers and communities, improving the relevance, quality and impact of our research;
• Attracting, training and supporting the best researchers to tackle complex health and social care challenges;
• Collaborating with other public funders, charities and industry to help shape a cohesive and globally competitive research system;
• Funding applied global health research and training to meet the needs of the poorest people in low and middle income countries.

NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Its work in low and middle income countries is principally funded through UK Aid from the UK government.