We believe every patient who enters our hospital should have the opportunity to take part in a clinical trial. We work closely with patients, universities, industry and others, using cutting edge science and technology to create real life tests and treatments that benefit patients more quickly.
We have a reputation for award-winning research and development. We pioneer new medical advances to benefit patients not only in our own hospital but internationally.
As a Trust, we consistently recruit thousands of patients a year into clinical trials. In the each financial year since 2020, we have recruited over 8,000 participants each year, peaking at over 14,000 in 21/22. At any one time we are actively running well over a hundred studies in departments all across the Trust. The Trust is consistently one of the highest recruiting large acute Trusts and are in the top 12 of all Trust types.
The majority of care patients receive in hospitals and from their local GPs has come about as a result of clinical research. This includes new medicines to cure and prevent illness, different tests used for diagnosis, and even the way services are organised and staff are trained.
Ultimately, high-quality clinical research means the NHS can improve future healthcare for everyone.
What is clinical research?
Clinical research help us understand how to treat a particular illness and can help improve treatments, care and medicine and develop new ones.
It can also help us to diagnose diseases and conditions earlier or more accurately. and prevent people from developing diseases and conditions.
Clinical research trials and studies are part of everyday work in the NHS and you might not know it, but most care that patients receive in hospitals and GP practices is the result of research.
What are clinical trials?
Clinical trials are a particular type of research which normally compare one treatment to another.
They are the most accurate method that scientists have of testing what works best - and there are thousands of trials being carried out each year in a huge range of clinical areas within both the NHS and private industry.
Why should I take part?
Recruiting more patients and volunteers for research projects gives us a better chance of finding solid, reliable data from our clinical trials, which can then be used to improve treatment in hospitals and communities all across the UK, and often internationally.
The research may benefit you, or others like you, in the future.
Without patients and members of the public giving up their time to participate, clinical research would not exist.
Want to take part?
If you are interested or would like to take part in a clinical trial, there are different ways of finding a study that you may be eligible for:
- Contact our team to find out about relevant studies.
- Visit Portsmouth | Wessex Research Hubs to find out about studies in the community that you may be able to take part in.
- Find out about clinical trials in the UK via the Be Part Of Research (nihr.ac.uk) or through the NHS app.
- If you have a condition that means you make regular hospital visits, then ask your GP or clinician about clinical research.
- Search for clinical trials in the UK by condition and location on the National Institute for Research website.
You don't even need to take part in a clinical trial to become involved in clinical research. For example you could:
- Join one of our focus groups to give input into research projects
- Become a patient research ambassador
- Help us in raising local awareness of clinical research
- Provide information to our researchers to help their work
- Help to write patient questionnaires and other documents
If you are interested in finding out more about any of these please contact us at research.
Who are we?
Portsmouth Research Hub offers local people the chance to be involved in clinical research.
We were set up in 2021 by Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to help find safe and effective vaccines during the pandemic.
We are part of a network of linked hubs in the Wessex region, including Southampton, Bournemouth and Weymouth.
What do we do?
We now run a range of research studies. As well as ongoing work to find effective COVID-19 vaccines, we are also helping research various flu vaccines and treatments for infectious diseases such as shingles and herpes.
In the future, we hope to help research new treatments for conditions such as diabetes and asthma.
Can I be involved?
Yes! You can help change and improve lives by taking part in research. We want to create more opportunities for the people of Portsmouth and its surrounding areas to get involved in this vital work.
Find out about the benefits of taking part in research.
Where are we based?
The Portsmouth Research Hub is located at the John Pounds Centre in Portsea. Directions, parking information and advice on public transport is available on the John Pounds Centre website .
Our partners
The Portsmouth Research Hub is delighted to be working with well-established community partners including the John Pounds Centre and Lake Road GP Practice.
Contact details
Find out more here - Portsmouth | Wessex Research Hubs
Useful information
- For frequently asked questions about COVID-19 vaccine research, please visit: https://
bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk/ Vaccine-studies/ Frequently-asked-questions/ index - To find out more about research at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, please visit: porthosp.nhs.uk/research/
- To find out more about health and care research and search for studies taking place near you, please visit the NIHR’s Be Part of Research: https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk
The Portsmouth Technologies Trials Unit (PTTU) also works in collaboration with clinical researchers, academics, patients and commercial partners to develop research studies relevant to our community.
It specialises in working with commercial partners, including SMEs to develop research trials in new health care technologies and also has a broad portfolio of studies including observational studies and qualitative research.
To find out more visit http://portsmouthtechnologiestrialsunit.org.uk/
We use personally identifiable information to conduct research to improve health, care and services. As a public authority, we have to ensure that it is a task in the public interest when we use personally-identifiable information from people who have agreed to take part in research. Please review the HRA website for the general use of patient information in research: https://
Health and care research should serve the public interest, which means that we have to demonstrate that our research serves the interests of society as a whole. We do this by following the UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research.
If you wish to raise a complaint on how we have handled your personal data, you can contact our Data Protection Officer who will investigate the matter. If you are not satisfied with our response or believe we are processing your personal data in a way that is not lawful you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Please contact us if you would like the contact details of the relevant Data Protection Officer.