Why do we offer studies to some areas and not others?

There are many reasons why we may target specific areas, some of our considerations include:

Time: If there is a limited recruitment period we are likely to concentrate on areas where the study has all the relevant approvals in place along with sites who have participated in similar studies in the past.

Expertise: Sometimes study teams need sites with specific facilities or specialist clinics. In this case we would only approach practices that matched such requirements.

Location: There are sometimes limitations as to where a study can take place, it may need to be close to a secondary care centre or the study may be recruiting people from a particular demographic group. Additionally some studies need sites with specific list sizes if the research involves a random sample of the population. In these cases we will make it clear when circulating the study details.

Why is returning the Expression of Interest form important?

When we send out the expressions of interest we do so at the same time for every area being targeted and in most cases site allocation is a ‘first come – first served’ basis

It is important to remember that completing an expression of interest (EOI) doesn’t mean you are committing the practice to taking part, only that you want further information from ourselves or study team. Some practices have a nominated member of staff as a named contact with the remit to review the EOI’s and respond rather than waiting till a practice meeting by which time sufficient sites may have identified. If you don’t receive EOI’s please contact us and we will update our records.

What details do you hold and why?

The information we hold is no different to that which appears in practices information leaflets or websites, along with other data such as list sizes and previous research activity. As a NHS organisation we are bound by the same data protection legislation as all other NHS bodies, and as such do not share data without appropriate approvals and consent. We periodically ask for updates on practice interests, facilities and personnel but if there have been changes at the practice you think may alter the nature of the trials you can participate in, please let the PCRN team know and we will update our records. This allows us to be able to target sites more accurately when we are establishing interest in new studies.

 Is there a choice of paper or electronic updates and newsletters?

Our preference is to send out mailings as a link to the appropriate page on the website as it saves on cost and when we have conducted service evaluations it is by far the most requested method of communication. If you don’t receive the updates but wish to, please let us know. Equally, if you no longer wish to receive the information we can amend our database accordingly.

Payments – how are these calculated and how do we get paid?

The total amount will always depend on the type of study and the degree of practice involvement.

Non-Commercial / academic study costs are worked out using a standard template to calculate time taken by the practice staff to carry out the research. As an example time calculated may include a fixed cost for setup - reading protocols and trial documentation to evaluate the feasibility of studies; meeting with research team in addition to a per patient cost for phlebotomy, conducting physiological assessments and for administrative staff greeting and booking in patients for research related appointments The cost is then calculated pro rata using standard hourly rates for the relevant staff. The aim of Study Support Costs (SSC) is to ensure the practice has the costs generated by portfolio research activity covered.

Commercial / Industry studies are often priced on a per patient basis and are negotiated and agreed between the sponsor company and the individual practice prior to the study opening for recruitment

Payments of SSC’s are mostly processed and managed either by the PCRN or the CLRN. The process of how and who to invoice will be made clear at the start of every study.

Does the PCRN only work with GPs?

No, the PCRN work with all professions involved in primary care provision. Although many of the studies that currently make up the PCRN study portfolio are aimed at or involve GPs increasing numbers are now directly involving allied health professionals (AHP) such as podiatrists, physiotherapists, ophthalmologists, pharmacists and dentists along with teams such as community and palliative nursing. As the PCRN becomes established and engages with both the researchers developing protocols and AHP’s who will be supporting the trials we fully expect the numbers of studies designed for and by AHPs to increase.

 How do I find out what studies are available?

The easiest way is to contact your local trial coordinator who will be aware of the new and upcoming studies in your area. Also we can make sure you are on our mailing list to receive the study updates (monthly) and newsletters (quarterly) or you can check the relevant page of this site: or to view the current PCRN portfolio in its entirety please follow this link: PCRN Portfolio . If anything is of interest to you please first discuss it with your local PCRN Clinical Trial Coordinator, follow this link for contact details

How will I get to hear about study results?

The PCRN staff routinely link in with local training and time out events to update participating sites on completed and ongoing studies and we regularly invite study teams to speak at PCRN led events regarding their research. We also include updates of recruitment progress in our newsletters, and when we know of results being published we will, where possible include a link on our library page: PCRN N&Y Library

 Any other questions?

If you have a query not covered here or would like more information regarding a study or to discuss the progress or results of a particular trial, in the first instance, please contact your local Clinical Trial Coordinator (contact details are on the staff profile page).

If you have a more general query or you are not sure where to direct your question please check out the 'PCRN N&Y Staff' page or contact us at enquires@nyren.co.uk