More patients taking part in hospital trials

RESEARCH WILL ALSO HELP FUTURE GENERATIONS

More people in Sunderland are taking part in pioneering clinical research studies than ever before, new figures show.

The 2017/18 NIHR Research Activity League Table is published today by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN).

It highlights the extent of NHS research taking place in England and the number of participants being recruited into studies.

Trusts and CCG regions across the North East have seen a surge in the number of people participating in research trials, with a total of 42,450 people getting involved in 1,630 clinical studies – a rise of 23% from last year.

City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust recruited a total of 2,502 participants to clinical trials, up 9% on the previous year, with the number of studies increasing from 127 to 140.

Trust chief executive Ken Bremner said: “This is a wonderful achievement by our research team.

“Only a decade ago, our research was limited to a small number of fields of medicine, but it now covers a wide range of clinical specialities, which has led to involvement in a large number of clinical research trials.

“Involvement in highquality research is vitally important if we are going to improve care and achieve better outcomes for patients and for future generations.”

Professor Stephen Robson, Clinical Director at NIHR Clinical Research Network North East and North Cumbria (CRN NENC), said: “It’s fantastic to see all the region’s trusts and CCG’s being research active this year.

“There are lots of research opportunities available to patients across the North East and North Cumbria who are keen to take part in studies.

“We would encourage anyone who has an interest to speak to their GP, hospital doctor or nurse.”