Clinical Research

Taking part in research

Beckett House Practice supports health research approved by the NHS and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Research helps us understand health problems and find better ways to treat patients, now and in the future. Many treatments we use today only exist because people chose to take part in research.

We contact patients about research studies they might be able to join based on simple rules for that study, such as age or a health condition in your record.

For these types of study, the invitation is just to let you know about the study and ask if you are interested, so it might not be quite right for you. Your GP has not personally selected you and it is not a medical recommendation. The invitation is simply to let you know about the study and see if you would like to find out more.

We do not share your personal details with the research team at this stage. Instead, we contact you directly so you can decide if you would like to hear more about the study.

If you are interested, you can contact the research team directly. They will explain the study clearly, answer your questions and check if it is safe and suitable for you. You will only take part if you are eligible and happy to continue.

Taking part is your choice. You can say yes or no, your care will not be affected and you can stop at any time. Many patients find taking part in research a positive and rewarding experience.

All studies we support have been reviewed and approved by research ethics committees.

Use of anonymised data for research (CPRD)

Beckett House Practice works with the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). CPRD is a Government organisation providing anonymised healthcare records for vital public health research.

Research is important to the NHS and benefits us all, whether we are fit and healthy or suffering from an illness or condition. Research helps us to understand the cause of disease, prevent us from becoming ill, develop safe treatments and improve the health care we receive.

Whenever you visit your doctor or use an NHS service, your electronic health record is updated. This record contains important information about your health and describes the care that you have received. This information in health records is vital for medical research.

For 30 years, hundreds of GP practices across the UK have contributed information in patient records to the CPRD to support medical research to improve patient and public health including:

• Answering important questions about what causes illness and how to prevent and treat it
• Monitoring the safety of vaccines and medicines
• Understanding possible side effects of treatments in patients

Only anonymised patient data is provided to researchers. 

Protecting your identity and confidentiality

Your information is protected in the following ways:

• You cannot be identified from the information sent to CPRD from GP practices. CPRD never receives any personal identifying details from your GP such as your name, address, NHS number or date of birth
• CPRD only provides anonymised health data to researchers
• Data can only be used for research to improve patient and public health
• All research applications must be reviewed and approved by an expert independent scientific committee
• CPRD is reviewed each year* to make sure its services meet ethical and legal requirements
• Data is held securely by CPRD and researchers must follow strict terms and conditions when carrying out any research

You can opt out

You have the right to opt out of anonymised information from your health records being used in medical research. If you do not want your GP practice to share information from your health record with CPRD, let your doctor know. Opting out of sharing your health records will not affect the direct care that you receive.

Researchers and government regulators depend on the data collected by CPRD to safeguard public health and monitor drug safety. If large numbers of patients or particular types of patients choose not to share anonymised health information for research, the information in CPRD will not truly represent the UK population. This situation may lead to unreliable evidence from research aimed at answering important public health questions.

You can find out more via the CPRD website