Connect with us and contribute to research in your region

The national Patient Recruitment Centre initiative is purpose-designed to increase the UK’s capacity to deliver late-phase commercial clinical research and attract more studies to our region.

Partnerships and collaborations across the health sector in our region are a key feature of our operating model. These connections, which include primary, secondary, community and social care organisations, extend our recruitment reach far beyond the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. This means that we can provide more opportunities for more people to access cutting edge treatments and therapies.

We have a strong history in the development and cultivation of strong collaborations in Devon, across the United Kingdom and internationally. This has enabled us to enhance our research portfolio by working across organisational boundaries, realising opportunities to access a range of resources and expertise and, ultimately, increasing the breadth of research opportunities for the benefit of our population. 

Collaborating to improve access

We are proud of the strong links we have already forged with healthcare providers in the region:

• Devon Partnership Trust (DPT) is already partnered with Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (Previously the Royal Devon & Exeter) to support dementia and other neurodegenerative research. Through PRC: Exeter we aim to attract more  trials that are suitable for the patient population served by DPT. We will also support potential participants to access these trials and the  specialist clinical skills they bring.

• Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust shares senior Board appointments with the RD&E and will expand this collaboration through PRC: Exeter to further support patient recruitment and retention.

• Our research delivery teams work collaboratively with the Clinical Research Network South West Peninsula across both primary and secondary care. We want to support more  General Practices to engage in Patient Identification Centre (PIC) activity and additional outreach activities which will be undertaken in collaboration with the local Network team.

• Other important  regional research delivery partnerships include our work with the Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) and the local Strategic Transformation Plans (STPs).

• A long standing partnership exists between our host organisation, the Royal Devon, and the University of Exeter - ranked in the top five in the UK for research and teaching. The University of Exeter has extremely strong clinical networks including national and international academic collaborations in key areas supporting trials across dementia, oncology, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, and exercise. They frequently lead, or co-lead, national networks and have recently published research in partnership with leading international and UK centres such as Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, Liverpool and Bristol. These connections bring a wealth of research expertise and experience to PRC: Exeter.

The arrival of PRC: Exeter provides a fantastic opportunity to build and develop further partnerships with regional NHS care providers, charities and community groups to expand activity together, providing opportunities for people across specialties and the region to benefit from research and providing opportunities for colleagues from different organisations to work together to deliver late phase commercial clinical trials.

Our research facilities

Wonford Site

PRC: Exeter benefits from being on the main Royal Devon site at Wonford. Facilities include:

• a park and ride service or dedicated parking for visitors
• a separate entrance and waiting area where refreshments are available for trial participants
• clinical rooms
• a dedicated pharmacy dispensing trial medication
• a sample preparation room 
• meeting room with video conferencing capabilities

Our friendly team comprises experienced principal investigators, clinical research delivery staff and professional services staff who are keen to forge new relationships and work in new ways to expand research activity across the region.   We look forward to working with you for the benefit of patients across the regions our population and beyond.

Electronic systems

Our innovative new electronic patient record database, EPIC, brings immediate benefits for our research activity by:

• providing speedier access to clinical information for research teams
• spotlighting research participants and their associated trial information
• coordinating data collection
• supporting feasibility and participant selection
• supporting safety reporting and monitoring processes
• providing better continuity of care for participants

Business Innovation Hub

At PRC Exeter we  also have  access to a skilled team who can support at every stage of the healthcare innovation pathway. The Hub works with life science companies  to provide:

• healthcare consultancy and advisory work
• access to the clinical environment
• E-health MDR regulatory approval
• project Management of clinical validation services
• managing IP matters across healthcare
• subject Matter Expert panel support

Through the Hub we work collaboratively with the Royal Devon research and development team and the University of Exeter. This presents a valuable combination of health research and development including validation in a real healthcare setting – a partnership offering bench to bedside learning, accelerating the benefits to patients, and reducing the time to market for companies.

The Hub is also a central focus for Royal Devon staff looking to exploit their own healthcare innovation. Working alongside its innovation partner, Cambridge based Health Enterprise East, the Hub evaluates innovations to find the most attractive pathway to develop these new healthcare ideas.

Use the links below to find out more: 

Information for IndustryPatient and participant information

Contact the PRC: Exeter