Participants welcome the opportunity to attend weekend Greater Manchester research clinics

Participants in Greater Manchester have provided positive feedback after being given the opportunity to be part of research during weekend clinics. 

The Delivery Team from NIHR CRN Greater Manchester collaborated with colleagues from the University of Manchester to run three weekend clinics for the Patterns and Prevalence of Adult Food Allergy (PAFA) study during November 2022. 

The study, led by the University of Manchester, has been designed to learn more about food allergies and intolerances in adults in the UK.

The clinics were held on Saturdays and Sundays at the Wythenshawe Clinical Research Facility, part of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. 

The team invited patients from Barlow Medical Centre in Didsbury and St Johns Medical Centre in Altrincham to take part in the study, as part of a strategy to boost recruitment time to target, and to provide participants with the opportunity to take part in a study outside of normal working hours.  

The CRN Greater Manchester team used an approach based on the high-throughput model which was first introduced when they supported the delivery of COVID-19 vaccine studies during the pandemic. This approach streamlines the research participant recruitment process.

The team recruited 77 people to the PAFA study over the six days; this would normally take over 15 days in normal practice.  

The clinics ran smoothly with excellent feedback received via the CRN’s Participant in Research Experience Survey. Participants also completed many expressions of interest to sign-up with Research for the Future, the CRN’s North West initiative which allows people to register to hear about all kinds of research participation opportunities.   

Jo Henry, CRN Greater Manchester Delivery Team Matron, said: “I would like to thank all of the participants who attended, and all the staff that were involved in the set up and running of these clinics, and who gave up their weekends to support this important study.” 

Claire Roulstone (pictured with the CRN Greater Manchester team) was among the participants who came to a clinic. She said:  “I’ve had a really good experience of taking part in the PAFA study today, and I think it’s great to have the option to come on the weekend.”