Figures published on Wednesday 18 July 2018 by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) show that a record 70,720 people took part in vital clinical research in the West Midlands during 2017/18 – the highest number ever in one year.

The 2017/18 NIHR Research Activity League Table details how much clinical research is happening, where and involving how many participants. The league table can be accessed from the NIHR website.

The three hospital trusts who are part of Birmingham Health Partners (BHP) took the top three slots.

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) topped the league table after recruiting 8,074 participants in 298 clinical studies and Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (now part of UHB) was second highest with 6,534 participants recruited to 190 studies. With the addition of 4,731 participants in 177 studies recruited at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, this brought the total to a magnificent 19,339 patients recruited to 665 trials.

Hilary Fanning, Director of Research Development and Innovation at UHB said: “The level of recruitment to clinical trials is a demonstration of UHB’s commitment to supporting our patients to build healthier lives through access to research. This achievement is testament to the generosity of our patients and the dedication of research staff across all of our recently merged hospital sites.”

Clinical Director of the Clinical Research Network West Midlands (CRN WM), Professor Jeremy Kirk, said: “This is the first time we have exceeded the 70,000 mark, beating our target by 10,100 recruits. In addition, we are not only the top recruiting region for commercial clinical trials, but were also second (of 15 networks) for the total number of patients recruited to non-commercial trials.”

He added: “Our grateful thanks go to every single person who participates in clinical research, or supports someone who does. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to find new and better treatments for patients in the future. It is also a fantastic reflection of the hard work and enthusiasm of our dedicated staff and researchers in the region.”

The results highlight that the West Midlands is one of the best places to carry out clinical research, with the number of people taking part in primary care studies in the region increasing by 118%.

There are currently more than 1,400 different studies taking place in the West Midlands across 30 health specialties. You can read about the experiences of patients who have taken part in research in the West Midlands and how to get involved on the NIHR website.