The number of Milton Keynes participants taking part in NHS research supported the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) rose last year, new figures show.
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust recruited 4,803 participants to 53 studies, compared to 4,395 in the same number of studies the previous year.
There were also 216 participants in 12 studies in Milton Keynes community settings such as GP practices, compared to 557 in 10 studies the previous year.
The NIHR Clinical Research Network provides staff such as research nurses to help doctors and professors run studies in the NHS.
Studies that took place in 2019/20 in Milton Keynes’ NHS included:
- Whether giving women with breast cancer extra surgery to the armpit is necessary if the disease has spread there
- A trial of a drug to treat leukaemia with fewer side effects than chemotherapy
- A trial of painkillers for chronic pelvic pain in women
- A blood test to detect if newborns are at risk of developing type 1 diabetes
More than 480 participants are taking part in COVID-19 studies in Milton Keynes, which can involve drug trials, blood tests and online surveys.
Sara Grieg, Research Implementation Manager at Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We have had another successful year offering and recruiting participants to research, with over 400 more participants than last year.
“We have been able to maintain the number of studies open to recruitment and the hard work of the research team, health care professionals and support services has meant the numbers of people taking part in research has continued to grow in Milton Keynes.”
Participating in health research helps develop new treatments, improve the NHS and save lives. The NHS supports research by asking patients and healthy volunteers if they wish to take part in trials to enable participants to access new NHS treatment and care options.
Learn more about research at www.bepartofresearch.uk.
