NIHR salutes Wessex TrialBlazers as it launches new campaign promoting research
More than 110,000 participants from the Wessex region took part in research in 2021/22, as a new campaign urges more people across the UK to join trials which could one day save lives.
New figures published today by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) show that 115,242 participants from Dorset, Hampshire, South Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight joined 665 research studies supported by the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) Wessex in the twelve months between April 2021 and March 2022.
The publication of new data coincides with International Clinical Trials Day (20th May) and the launch of a new NIHR campaign to thank and celebrate the thousands of people in Wessex, and all over the UK, who take part in and support trials each year- the TrialBlazers.
The latest figures show that it has been another record-breaking year for Wessex, with an unprecedented number of participants taking part in research. Participation levels were 24% higher than the previous financial year (93,133 in 2020/21), rising by over 22,000 to help Wessex surpass a key milestone of more than 600,000 participants in NIHR CRN-supported research studies since 2008.
Today, the NIHR is calling for more people to get involved and become a TrialBlazer by volunteering in research.
Local TrialBlazer Ali Richards, 60, from Poole in Dorset, took part in a clinical trial in Southampton after being diagnosed with throat cancer over six years ago.
Ali, who has recently been given the all-clear, hopes that being part of research will mean more people can be cured of the disease in the future.
Ali said: “I'm really proud to have been involved in a trial of a new treatment and hope my participation will help to make a difference. My sincere hope is that through research we can help stop this horrible disease for most, if not all people with cancer.
“I know I had the very best care available, and I have had the best result in that I am alive. But the treatment for this cancer is quite gruelling and has inevitably had a long-term impact on my health.
“I believe that there has to be a better way, and that research is the answer. I would be so happy to know that I have played a small role in developing a vaccine to help fight HPV-triggered cancers.”
Clare Rook, Chief Operating Officer at NIHR CRN Wessex, added:
“This International Clinical Trials Day, we want to raise awareness of the opportunities to support research and its vital role in improving health and care. There are so many different ways to get involved, whether that’s volunteering for a study, helping to shape future research or promoting the value of research to others.
“After another record-breaking year for Wessex, we’d like to thank our TrialBlazers like Ali for their unique and invaluable contributions. By generously giving up their time to support research, they help people live healthier and better lives now, and in the future.”
With hundreds of NIHR-supported research studies on everything from COVID-19 to cancer in need of volunteers, the public are being encouraged to find out more about the NIHR’s TrialBlazers campaign and to visit the Be Part of Research website to discover local opportunities.
