Patients will be able to register for clinical trials via the NHS App under new Government plans to revive the UK’s struggling research sector and speed up access to new treatments.
The initiative, part of the forthcoming 10-year health plan, aims to significantly reduce trial set-up times, increase public participation in research and boost the UK’s appeal as a destination for global life sciences investment.
According to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), trial recruitment and performance data will now be collected from all NHS trusts and organisations. This will include data on the number of trials being conducted and the progress being made.
Data will be publicly available on how many trials are sponsored, which NHS organisations are performing well and which are falling behind. Funding will be prioritised for those who can ‘prove they can support the NHS to deliver the treatments of tomorrow’.
A new version of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) ‘Be Part of Research’ platform, which will be integrated into the NHS App, will allow patients to browse and register for trials. The ambition is to automatically match patients with studies via personalised push notifications based on patient data.
Ministers claim the reforms will help address a major drop in UK clinical trial activity in recent years. It currently takes an average of 250 days to set up a commercial trial in the NHS, compared to just 100 days in countries such as Spain. The Government has set a target to reduce the UK figure to 150 days or fewer by March 2026.
To achieve this, a new national standardised contract will be introduced to avoid site-by-site agreements, and duplicative processes across regulatory bodies are set to be streamlined.
‘Benefit patients through better medicines’
Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said the UK should be at the forefront of the ‘emerging revolution in life sciences’, adding that the NHS App will be key to giving the public a greater role in clinical trials and putting them ‘at the front of the queue for new cutting-edge treatments’.
‘By slashing through red tape and making it easier for patients to take part, reforms in our 10-year plan will grow our life sciences sector, generate news funds for the NHS to reinvest in frontline care, and benefit patients through better medicines,’ he said.
Commenting on the plans, Professor Lucy Chappell, chief executive of the NIHR, said: ‘We know the benefits of embedding clinical research across the NHS and beyond. It leads to better care for patients, more opportunities for our workforce and provides a huge economic benefit for our health and care system. Integrated into the NHS App, the NIHR Be Part of Research service enables members of the public to be matched to vital trials, ensuring the best and latest treatments and care get to the NHS quicker.
‘Ensuring all sites are consistently meeting the 150-day-or-less set-up time will bring us to the starting line, but together we aim to go further, faster to ensure the UK is a global destination for clinical research to improve the health and wealth of the nation.’
Clinical trials for underrepresented groups
The Government said it also plans to target underrepresented groups – including young people and people from ethnic minority backgrounds – through a new national research awareness campaign.
To this end, Kirsty Slack, head of policy, public affairs and campaigns at the Teenage Cancer Trust, said: ‘Young people in the UK with cancer find it extremely tough to access potentially life-saving clinical trials. The launch of this new service on the NHS app is a welcome innovation, giving young people the power to quickly search for opportunities through technology that’s integral to their daily lives.
‘However, there are more access barriers to overcome before young people with cancer move near to the “front of the queue” for clinical trials.’
Nicola Perrin, chief executive of the Association of Medical Research Charities, added: ‘Clinical trials are good for patients, the NHS and the economy. But both commercial and non-commercial trials in the UK have closed because of failures to recruit.
‘[This announcement] will help to maximise opportunities for everyone to take part in research and speed up access to innovative treatments. We warmly welcome the focus on driving up the participation of diverse and under-served groups – something that is incredibly important to our member charities.
‘It’s encouraging to see the Government recognise that boosting access to clinical trials must be a key part of the 10 Year Health Plan. Transforming clinical trials is an important step in truly embedding research in the NHS, securing the UK’s position as a leader in life sciences and offering a lifeline to patients.
The 10-year health plan is expected to be published in full in the coming weeks.
Last week it was announced that more patients will receive appointment reminders, screening invitations and test results via the NHS App, with the ambition for it to become the NHS’s ‘go-to patient communication method’ within three years.
In April, it was announced that the NHS App had been adopted by 87% of hospitals in the UK, saving 1.26 million clinical hours since July 2024.
