Patients will be able to access clinical trials through the NHS App under changes set to be unveiled in the 10-year plan, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said.
The initiative will allow millions of patients to search for and sign up for trials via the NIHR Be Part of Research service on the NHS App, with the ambition to eventually automatically match patients with studies based on their health data and interests.
The DHSC added that 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’.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘The UK was has been at the forefront of scientific and medical discovery throughout our history. Some country will lead the charge in the emerging revolution in life sciences, and why shouldn’t it be Britain?
‘The 10 year plan for health will marry the genius of our country’s leading scientific minds, with the care and compassion of our health service, to put NHS patients at the front of the queue for new cutting-edge treatments.
‘The NHS App will become the digital front door to the NHS, and enable all of us as citizens to play our part in developing the medicines of the future. The British people showed they were willing to be part of finding the vaccine for Covid, so why not do it again to cure cancer and dementia?
‘By slashing through red tape and making it easier for patients to take part, reforms in our ten 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.’
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.’
The DHSC added that it would reduce the amount of time to set up a trial in the NHS, from 250 days on average currently, to 150 days or less by March 2026.
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 directly to their smartphones within the next three years under the NHS App.
And last month, a new ‘Amazon-style’ prescription tracker went live on the NHS App, enabling patients to track their prescriptions across 1,500 community pharmacies in England.
