Take part in research

Taking part in research

If you are currently receiving treatment for a disease or illness, it is best to speak to your GP, consultant or nurse about current research investigating that condition.

If you have information about a specific trial taking place in one of our hospitals or our school of medicine and dentistry, please email us with some details e.g. the study title, lead investigator/ consultant’s name, condition or disease etc and we can follow up on your behalf.

You can also visit the NIHR's Be Part of Research website for clinical trials which might be taking place in a hospital close to where you live. Each record contains a summary of the study and the contact details of the lead investigator or trial coordinator, who are usually best placed to give advice on the referral process(es) for that specific trial.

Do you want to be a part of helping keep people healthy? Would you like to help us find better ways to look after our patients?

We're always looking for patients who can help us find out which treatments work best for people and compare different approaches to preventing and treating illnesses and health problems.

You could be part of pushing the frontiers of modern medicine if you take part in our research projects and you will be helping patients in the future. If you are approached, we know you might have some questions and our team will be glad to help.

What might it involve?

This will vary, and your doctor will be able to explain exactly what this means for you. You will be part of a clinical trial testing new ways to diagnose, treat and prevent disease.

You might be asked to:

• Fill in a questionnaire
• Give samples of blood, skin or other tissue
• Take part in a chat with other patients, carers or members of the public about your experience
• Be interviewed by a researcher so that we can hear about your views or experiences

If you are asked to be part of a trial, you’ll be given an information sheet 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.

You will be given time to make sure you understand all this information –at least two days – and please feel free to discuss this with your family, friends, GP or other people involves in your care. If you don’t understand any aspect of the trial, make sure you ask as you should only say yes and sign the consent form if you are sure you want to go ahead.

Taking part in research is a really positive experience, but you do not have to do it if you don’t want to. That decision will not affect your routine healthcare.

If you're interested in carrying out research, for information about conducting research at Barts Health including governance processes, SOPs and patient and public involvement advice/resources, please visit our Joint Research Management Office (JRMO) website.

Who are we? 

The Engagement and Diffusion team sits within the Joint Research Management Office (JRMO), with the aim of improving patient and public engagement, involvement and participation in research across the Trust. We are based at Newham Hospital. 

What we do

There are many aspects to research, but central to all studies is the Research Engagement and Diffusion Team who work with researchers, patients and the public to support public engagement, participation and involvement in research.

The team are a central point of contact for patients and members of the public who are interested in participating or getting involved in research and also send information out directly to local people who have expressed their interest in getting involved.

All members of the public are welcome to sign up to our mailing list, especially those living in the areas we serve across east London, by emailing us- or Tweet us at @BartsHealthResearch

Contact us

If you have any questions about public involvement in research please email us

If you need an interpreter to enable you to take part in research at Barts Health, this can be arranged through the Bilingual Health Advocacy and Interpreting Service.