NHS patients can expect to be informed of approved research that is relevant to them

The Government has announced that it will ensure that all patients throughout the NHS will be informed of research that is relevant to them so that, if appropriate, they can be offered the opportunity to take part in it.

Speaking at a summit hosted by the Prime Minister to commemorate 60 years of NHS research, Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for Health, underlined the huge importance of research to the NHS and how the NHS had made unparalleled advances in medical science and healthcare since it was founded in 1948.

Mr Johnson said:

“The UK is a world leader in health research. We owe a great debt to the many thousands of people who have contributed over the years to the future health and well-being of us all. These advances could not have happened without the imagination and commitment of the scientists and clinicians we celebrate today. The people who took part in their research deserve to be part of that celebration.”

“I want every patient in the NHS to have the right to take part in approved medical research that is appropriate for them, if they choose to. And to underline the paramount importance of research, we will set out in the forthcoming NHS constitution the core role that it plays at the heart of the NHS.”

The Government will introduce a number of measures to deliver this including:

• a commitment in the NHS Constitution to the promotion and conduct of research to improve the current and future health of the population;
• the use of care records, in confidence, to notify relevant patients about appropriate opportunities for them to join in approved clinical research if they choose to;
• building on the new Research Capability Programme within Connecting for Health to enable NHS staff to see information about approved clinical trials being conducted in the NHS across the country, so that they can tell patients about research that is relevant to them.

Together, these measures will reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and help eligible patients who wish to take part in research to do so swiftly and easily. This means that in future, all patients in the NHS will have the right to expect that their health record will be used, in confidence, by a health professional or by a research professional who has the same duty of confidentiality as a health professional, to identify whether they are suitable to take part in
approved research which is relevant to them. Appropriate patients will be notified of opportunities to join in, and will be free to choose whether they wish to do so, after a full explanation.

Speaking at the Health Research Summit, Harpal Kumar, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, said:

"The Government's announcement today is extremely welcome given that it helps to place health research at the core of the NHS. It shows a commitment to provide more information about the health research taking place in this country, and to involve and recruit more patients in clinical trials. This is good news for patients, both now and in the future."