Patients and participants

Healthcare research helps us to gather evidence so that we can tackle issues within the health care sector. It helps us find the best possible solutions available. We can then use these to make changes, ultimately helping us improve patient care. For further information please visit the following page by the NIHR: What is health and care research?

There are many potential benefits to being a part of research. You may learn more about your condition, help researchers find new ways to treat/prevent disease, benefit future generations by helping improve healthcare, contribute to scientific advances, and increase the understanding of human diseases. Benefits vary according to each study and sometimes may not benefit you directly but will help others in the future. 

You will receive a patient information sheet which explains the aims of the research and what participating in the study may involve. The information sheet will include any additional treatments or tests you may receive. The information sheet will also contain contacts for the Research Team.  You will be given plenty of time to consider the information and ask any questions. If you are happy to participate in the study you will be asked to complete a consent form. You will be given or sent a copy of your completed consent form to keep for your records. What happens next depends on the research study, your Research Team will be able to guide you through the process. 

There are several ways that you can find out about research here at Gateshead Health. Your medical team may identify that you are potentially eligible for a study and give you a participant information sheet. The Research Team may then contact you regarding the study. You can also ask your medical team if they know of any clinical trials or studies that you could join. There could also be study posters around the hospital, these will have websites or QR codes you can use to learn more about the research. You can search for current studies and clinical trials near you by using the NIHR Be Part Of Research website.

Clinical trials and research studies may involve some risks but as every study is different these risks can vary. All research studies are designed to minimise the risks involved with them as much as possible. Any specific risks associated in a research study will be fully explained to you and you will have opportunity to ask questions about them before you agree to take part.

No, taking part in research is voluntary. You will be given written information about the study, time to consider if you would like to take part as well as the opportunity to ask any questions that you may have. If you decide not to take part in the study your routine medical care that you receive will not be affected.

There are some studies that do not require us to collect consent for data collection. You can opt out of your data being used for this type of research. If you would like to opt out then please follow this link to opt out of data collection: Make your choice about sharing data from your health records

Participating in a research study is always voluntary and you can withdraw from a trial at any time without giving a reason. This will not affect the care you receive from your clinical team. Any data and samples collected whilst on trial may still be kept but no future information will be collected depending on your level of withdrawal. 

Clinical trials and research studies are reviewed by multiple regulatory authorities before they can begin. These include: A Research Ethics Committee (REC), the Health Research Authority (HRA), Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), as well as the clinical and managerial research teams within the hospital. 

Health research data helps us understand more about health conditions and diseases to improve patient care.

Health research data may include information about your medical history, blood tests, other health checks or questionnaires.

If you agree to take part in a study the Research Team may need access to your medical records. However, we will only ever access information we require for the study. Often we will remove your name from the research data and replace it with a code. This is called pseudoanymised data. Occasionally a study may require your identifiable information, this will be made clear in the participant information sheet and during the consent process.

All information about you will be subject to the UK General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act.

For more information on this please see Gateshead Health’s Privacy statement