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<p>Overall, there has been an increase in the number of participants recruited to
clinical studies in England since 2018. During the COVID-19 pandemic, recruitment
to studies on the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Clinical
Research Network (CRN) Portfolio increased by 90% to an average of over 115,000 participants
recruited per month in 2020/21. During the pandemic, many non-COVID studies were paused
to focus on nationally prioritised COVID-19 studies. The Department, working in partnership
with NHS England, has taken action to recover the UK’s capacity to deliver research
through the Research Reset programme. By May 2023, a rolling average of over 77,000
people were recruited to studies on the NIHR CRN portfolio, 10,000 more than the monthly
average prior to the pandemic in 2019/20.</p><p>In February 2023, the Government commissioned
an independent review to offer recommendations on how to resolve key challenges in
conducting commercial clinical trials in the UK and transform the UK commercial clinical
trial environment. The Lord O’Shaughnessy Review, published in May 2023, highlights
the opportunities for primary care to deliver population-scale trials. A comprehensive
response will be published in the autumn covering decisions on the recommendations
not covered in our first step, including financial incentives for general practitioners
(GPs) to take part in commercial trials. We will seek input from stakeholders as we
make our assessment.</p><p>Payments to GPs for involvement in clinical research delivery
are based on standardised costing methodologies supported by NHS England and NIHR
CRN to provide transparency and reassurance that there are not undue incentives to
GPs or other health professionals, or inappropriate personal financial gain.</p><p>All
clinical trials are reviewed by a Research Ethics Committee (REC) prior to the research
starting. All RECs in the UK are recognised as meeting the standards set out in legislation.
RECs consider the method of seeking consent and the information that is provided to
potential participants, including those that may be vulnerable, to ensure that they
are appropriately informed and able to make a choice about participation.</p>
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