Guy's and St Thomas' ranked number one for patients participating in clinical studies

Tuesday 25 October 2016


Research Patient undergoing tests

More patients were involved in clinical research at Guy’s and St Thomas’ than any other NHS trust in England, according to new figures published today (Tuesday 25 October).

From April 2015 to April 2016 nearly 28,000 patients took part in clinical studies at Guy’s and St Thomas’. Since 2014 the number of patients involved in studies at the Trust has more than doubled.

The figures were released by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network alongside its annual Research Activity League Table.

This shows that the number of clinical research studies taking place at Guy’s and St Thomas’ increased by 7.6%, to 494, in the last year; more than any other trust in London and the second highest in the country.

Professor Charles Wolfe, Director of Research and Development at Guy's and St Thomas' said: "We are delighted to have been recognised once again as a national leader not only for the number of studies we undertake but also for the number of patients we involve in our research. Investment in research leads to better and more cost-effective treatments which improves the quality of care for our patients.”

Lambeth resident Anika St. Aubyn, whose son Khalil is currently participating in a study at Guy’s and St Thomas’ said: “After Khalil was born, one of the nurses at St Thomas’ asked me if I would consider enrolling him in the Brain Imaging in Babies study (BIBs) which uses MRI scans to investigate how Khalil’s brain is developing. Khalil’s older brother has an autistic spectrum disorder which took nearly five years to be properly diagnosed and I feel that by participating in a study like BIBs we might help parents in the future receive their diagnosis sooner.”

Commenting on the league table results, Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department of Health said: “The support and infrastructure provided by the National Institute for Health Research has helped increase year on year the number of research opportunities offered within the NHS. Commercial partnerships supported by the Clinical Research Network continue to play a vital role in bringing world-class research studies to the UK, benefiting our health service and ensuring new treatments are available to patients as quickly as possible.”

This success comes in the wake of the announcement last month that the NIHR have awarded the Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College London Biomedical Research Centre £64.4 million to continue its ground-breaking work over the next five years.  

Last updated: March 2022

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