Patients, clinicians and researchers across the whole of the UK are set to benefit from the ambitious vision for the future of clinical research delivery in the UK as the government sets out to create more efficient research delivery; more diverse and accessible research; and to embed research in the NHS.
Saving and Improving Lives: The Future of UK Clinical Research Delivery, published today and developed by the UK Government and devolved administrations, sets out how we will deliver faster, more efficient and more innovative research – from the streamlining of costing, contracting and approvals processes to the HRA’s rapid ethics review pilot, which aims to halve the time to provide a final opinion for research applications.
Using best practice, participating in research will become more accessible, increasing diversity and allowing more people across the whole of the UK to take part. Working with Centres of Excellence, such as the Centre for BME Health in Leicester, there will be more support for research in more diverse and under-served communities and innovative approaches like the University of Birmingham’s Dare2Think clinical trial, which has used remote eConsent and digital follow-up methods to recruit 3,000 patients across England with atrial fibrillation for their research.
The NHS will be encouraged to put delivery of research at the heart of everything they do, making it an essential and rewarding part of effective patient care. This means building a culture across the NHS and all health and care settings that is positive about research, where all staff feel empowered and supported to take part in clinical research delivery as part of their job.
Matt Hancock, Health and Social Care Secretary said: “Clinical research is the backbone of healthcare – it is the way we improve the detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease and improves the lives of patients across the country. This has never been more true than in our response to the pandemic.
“By taking advantage of our world-renowned research expertise, and a strong partnership between business, academia, the NHS and Government, we are determined to make the UK the best possible place to carry out clinical research that will improve the health of people here and across the world.
“Ground-breaking technologies, data and analytics will transform healthcare and save lives. Now is the time to seize the opportunity and make this vision a reality.”
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