Take part in research

We believe taking part in research can a positive experience, but we understand it’s not for everyone. If you are asked to take part in a research study, but choose not to, this will not affect your routine healthcare.

What might I have to do?

If you are asked to take part in a research study, you’ll be given a participant information sheet (PIS) that tells you more about the research, what it involves, how much time it is likely to take and all the risks and benefits of taking part. Some of the things you might be asked to do in a study, which would be outlined in the PIS, include:

• filling in a questionnaire
• keeping a diary
• giving samples of blood, skin, or other tissue
• receiving a new medicine or treatment
• being interviewed by a researcher so they can hear your views and experiences

Please take the time to fully understand everything on the PIS before committing to taking part in a study.

You should discuss the leaflet and the idea of taking part with your family, friends, GP, or anyone else you feel comfortable speaking to. Your doctor or a member of the research team will also be on-hand to answer any questions you may have, and we encourage you to speak to them before signing the consent form.

If you are a patient at our Trust receiving treatment, and are interested in taking part in research, we advise you speak to speak to a member of your healthcare team to learn what research opportunities are available and which ones you might be able to take part in.

You can also visit the Be Part of Research website, which you can search for reserach studies that are open and are accepting patients, and which hospital they’re located at. For each study, you will find a summary telling you what it’s about and the contact details of the team involved – these are the people to contact if you’re interested in knowing more about the study or want to join it. You can also discuss a study from this website with your medical team — plese note that in some cases, doing this might mean you are referred to another hospital that is running that study.

If you have information about and are interested in joining a specific study taking place in one of our hospitals, please email us with the details (the name, lead investigator/ consultant’s name, condition / disease) and we can look into this for you.

Our research engagement team work with researchers, patients and the public to support their engagement, participation and involvement in research.

They are the central point of contact for anyone interested in participating or getting involved in research and they send information to local people who have expressed an interest in getting involved.

All members of the public, especially those living in the areas we serve, are welcome to sign up to their mailing list. To sign up, email the team or Tweet them on @BartsHealthResearch.