How do I get involved?
We offer many opportunities across a range of specialties. This includes orthopaedics, cancer, rheumatology, respiratory. For more information please speak to the healthcare professional or consultant involved in your care, or call our research and development department on 0191 293 4087
Before a trial is offered to a patient it goes though many legal and ethical steps to ensure the safety of each potential participant. Drug trials go through an additional process with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) required to authorise it.
Our clinical trials take place in a very safe environment, with specialists in their field of medicine, and your involvement will be monitored carefully. As a trust we only take part in trials that have already passed a number of phases of testing so we already have a lot of knowledge about the drug. As with any research there may be unknown elements but your suitability will be assessed thoroughly beforehand and you will be monitored carefully throughout.
The different phases that drug trials go through are shown below. We take part in phase 2, phase 3 and phase 4 trials.
Phase 1 - a drug is trialled on a small number of human volunteers for the first time to test for any side effects and to calculate treatment dosage
Phase 2 - a drug is tested on a larger group of people, to get a better idea of its effects
Phase 3 - once a drug has passed the first two stages it is offered to a larger group of patients with the condition and compared against an existing treatment or placebos for its effectiveness and any side effects.
Phase 4 - The safety and effectiveness of a medicine continue to be monitored whilst it is being used in practice.
There will be some trials that you may be suitable for and others that you won't be. Your consultant or one of our research nurses will be able to provide more information on what may be suitable for you, please ask. You can also give our research and development department a call on 0191 293 4087
It will help us to understand what works best on a condition or disease. It could lead to improved treatments for you, and people like you, in the future. There is the possibility you could be one of the first people to benefit from a new treatment.
A member of our team will be in contact to discuss the trial with you and see if you meet the entry requirements for that trial.
This will depend on the trial you participate in. This will range from no payment, to covering travel expenses and occasionally you may receive financial reimbursement for your time given to a trial. Your research nurse and specific trial information leaflet will clarify if you are eligible for reimbursement.
Yes if you feel that it isn't helping you or you simply don't feel comfortable with taking part you can leave the trial at any time. This will not effect any treatment you continue to have with us.
When a trial comes to an end the researchers will publish the results. As a participant in the trial, if you are interested in the results these should be made available to you. If you aren't offered the results please ask for them.
Between 2016-18 our trust was involved in the NIVO study which looked at patients with COPD who required ventilation.
As part of this study we plan to transfer identifiable data to NHS Digital and NHS Wales Informatics Service. This will allow us to accurately assess all readmissions and outcomes for patients in the study and improve the study results.
NHS Digital already gather this information, and the data they send back to us will be pseudonymised
If you have any questions or want more information please see the data processing statement/privacy notice, here.