Another great year for research participation in Yorkshire and Humber
Over 120,000 people took part in vital health and care research in Yorkshire and Humber last year, in what has proven another remarkable year for participation in clinical research.
120,051 participants took part in over 1000 NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) portfolio studies in Yorkshire and Humber across the 2021/22 period, with 2,436 of these taking part in commercial studies sponsored by the life sciences industry. The studies were conducted at over 2500 recruiting sites across health and social care in the region.
A great year for research nationwide
In 2021/22, the NIHR Clinical Research Network continued to play a vital role in delivering COVID-19 research. Throughout the year, the CRN helped 772,359 participants across the UK take part in a total of 308 COVID-19 studies. 700,602 of these participants were recruited in England. These included pivotal vaccine trials, and innovative studies investigating COVID-19 treatments in both community and hospital settings.
With NIHR CRN support, the PANORAMIC COVID-19 antiviral treatment trial became the UK’s fastest ever recruiting primary care interventional trial (with 25,000 participants enrolled within 5 months). PANORAMIC is also currently the largest trial of community-based treatment for COVID-19 anywhere in the world.
Over the course of 2021-22, the NIHR CRN supported 24 COVID-19 vaccine studies, which recruited over 50,000 participants. These studies have impacted both the UK vaccine programme, and will likely impact global vaccine policy.
Research can help people to understand more about their health condition
Among those who took part in research was Vicky, 23, from Leeds, who described how participating in the SAFA study helped her find out more about her acne:
“I was really impressed with the standard of care I received. I was able to get an appointment almost immediately and it was the first time that I was able to see a dermatologist about my acne.
“The SAFA research team were highly informative and helpful, they explained exactly how the treatment worked and what to expect. I found participating really helpful as the research team also gave me a lot of advice about my acne too. “
Participants experience of taking part in research
Clinical research could not take place without the hundreds of thousands of people who give their time and effort to take part. Ensuring that these participants have a good experience of taking part and feel valued for their contribution is of paramount importance.
This year, a record 2810 research participants took part in the annual Participant Research Experience Survey in Yorkshire and Humber to share their feedback on their experience of taking part in research. Of those that took part:
- 98% felt the research staff have always treated them with courtesy and respect
- 93% would consider taking part again
- 93% considered that the information received before taking part prepared them well
Amber O’Malley, Chief Operating Officer for the NIHR Clinical Research Network Yorkshire and Humber said:
“It’s great to see fantastic participation levels across clinical research studies in the region continue this year. Despite the ongoing challenges presented to us by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are proud to continue to deliver vital research to improve the lives of people across Yorkshire and Humber.
“Our partners across health and social care have worked exceptionally hard to engage and deliver research to the region's population, and we are very grateful to both them, and the many people in Yorkshire and Humber who volunteer their time to make research happen.”
