The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has published national data revealing that more people than ever are being given access to new and better treatments through participation in clinical research.
The data shows that the number of participants recruited into clinical research studies in 2016-17 exceeded 665,0004, the highest number of clinical research participants in any given year. The substantial rise represents a 10% increase in the last year alone.
Over the last five years, the NIHR has recruited more than 3.1 million participants into clinical research studies, enabling more patients to benefit from improved care.
Both patients and healthy volunteers are encouraged to talk to their healthcare practitioners about participating in clinical research, as latest figures show that a growing number of NHS Trusts and general practices are research active. In 2016-17, 99% of NHS trusts and 48% of general practices recruited participants into clinical research.
The NIHR supports clinical research to be set up and delivered more efficiently across healthcare in England. The number of clinical research studies delivering in line with the study’s planned delivery targets have increased significantly over the last five years. Since 2011-12:
- The proportion of non-commercial studies delivering to time and target has doubled from 41 per cent to 83 per cent in 2016-17.
- The proportion of commercial contract studies delivering to time and target has increased by almost two thirds, from 45 to 73% in 2016-17.
Significant increases were also recorded in the number of new and open studies supported by the NIHR over the same period. In 2016-17:
- There were 2,055 new studies added to the NIHR Clinical Research Network Portfolio, representing a 50% increase since 2011-12 (1,367).
- The number of studies open to recruitment stood at 5,486, an increase of 45% since 2011-12 (3,785).
Health Minister, Lord O’Shaughnessy said: “This record increase in participants taking part in research and clinical studies is excellent news. The benefits of research are clear – more advanced and effective treatments for NHS patients both now and in the future. That’s why this Government is putting record amounts of funding into medical research, including £1 billion through the National Institute for Health Research last year alone.”
The 2016-17 NHS Research Activity League Table has also been published by the NIHR, detailing how much clinical research is happening, where, in what types of Trusts, and involving how many participants.
The latest data shows that in 2016-17:
- Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust had the highest number of research studies overall (528) and Barts Health NHS Trust had the highest number of commercial studies (149).
- Barts Health NHS Trust had the biggest year-on-year increase in the number of research studies, delivering 416 studies overall (+81) and 149 commercial studies (+35).
Jonathan Sheffield, chief executive of the NIHR Clinical Research Network, said: “The increase in the number of clinical research participants last year and the improvements we are seeing in studies delivering to time and target are fantastic achievements that are contributing to better health and care outcomes in this country.
“Researchers can be more confident of being able to complete their studies, and more patients will benefit from new and better treatments becoming available.
“Overall, 65% of Trusts increased their research activity in 2016-17, demonstrating the growing appetite for research within the NHS. We must continue to invest in the opportunities that clinical research presents, by looking at more innovative ways of delivery and making better use of digital advancements in the health and care sector.”
