The Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust is one of the most research active trusts in the country. As a Trust, we carry out a high number of commercial trials each year through strong partnership with industry, bringing the latest treatments to our patients.
Research+Me Online Registry is jointly managed by the NIHR Patient Recruitment Centre: Newcastle (NIHR PRC: Newcastle) and the Newcastle Joint Research Office (NJRO). We are a dedicated team who are all passionate about research, led by Professor Yan Yiannakou, our Clinical Lead. We work closely with the NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) – North East and North Cumbria and also GP Federations and local primary care who may send out text messages to alert you to join the registry for up and coming trials.
Our aim is to simplify the process of recruitment into clinical trials, for both patients and research staff, through our capability to contact all potentially eligible patients and perform pre-screening for the trial. Our regular newsletters and website updates allow patients to identify trials they may be eligible for and to contact the relevant study team. This helps to improve the reach of clinical research into communities that are often not given these opportunities, as it provides a direct route to access research, either relating to a specific condition, or healthy volunteer studies. To register for Research+Me, please follow this link.
Patients
In the NHS, patients are generally recruited to trials though specialist clinics, but many patients with common chronic conditions are managed outside hospitals, either by their GP or through self-care. Efficient recruitment to trials of common chronic conditions (such as migraine, moderate asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, mild to moderate depression and common skin conditions) can be challenging.
The NIHR PRC: Newcastle is one of five NHS clinical trials centres that specifically fill this niche by developing a capability to recruit from the surrounding community, as well as from within the Trust.
Our most valued partnership is with our patients and local communities. We aim to provide an enhanced patient experience and participant journey.
Equally important though, is the opportunity to work with experienced specialist consultants, acting as Principal Investigators on relevant studies, from across the North East and Cumbria.
Research+Me online registry has already helped recruit participants for a wide range of specialties, including cardiovascular, gastroenterology, COVID-19, depression and more. We are also currently working on a number of disease-specific sub-registries which will focus on recruitment into particular conditions, and will expand our reach beyond the North East. More details will be released on these in due course.
Virtual Trials
NIHR PRC: Newcastle is a pioneering centre for virtual trials in the UK. These research trials are open to participants from anywhere in the country, without the need to attend clinics, and all devices or treatments are sent to you. All consultations are conducted by telephone or video conferencing software and you may be asked to fill in a paper or e-diary.
Our Partnership with the NJRO
We have collaborated with the NJRO and their team of developers to build the online registry and your personal data will be safe and secure, using the REDCap system.
Ethos
Our ethos is to improve the health and wellbeing of our local and wider communities. The NIHR PRC: Newcastle has access to all NHS support services, easy parking and public transport connections, all helping to deliver a positive patient experience.