Information for the Public

You are being invited to join the University Hospitals Plymouth Research Recruitment Register. Before you decide whether to join the register it is important for you to understand why the register has been set up and what is involved. Please take time to read the following information carefully, and, if you wish, discuss it with your own doctor, friends or relatives. Please ask us if there is anything that is not clear or if you would like more information. Take your time to decide whether or not you wish to take part. Thank you for reading this.

Plymouth Research and Development is a highly active, well-established research centre working across a wide range of specialities. Our exciting research aims to improve our understanding of why these diseases develop, find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat them, and help improve the quality of life of people suffering with them. We keep a register of volunteers who are willing to be approached to potentially take part in research studies. By joining the register, you are giving us permission to inform you about new research projects and to approach you about potential participation in future studies.
 

Before new treatments, vaccines or devices can be used in clinical practice they must be carefully tested for their effects on patients and healthy volunteers. Clinical trials use volunteers to assess whether treatments are more effective than existing treatments, what the side effects are and whether they are safe. By participating in a research trial you can help find strategies for the prevention of diseases, the development of new and better treatments and vaccines or help to establish the best treatment options for particular patient groups.
 

Anyone over the age of 18 who lives within reasonable travelling distance from Plymouth. This can include Devon and Cornwall.

 

We will ask you to fill in and sign a Research Consent Form, you can do this online or via the post. This form gives us permission to hold your details on a secure database. If you would prefer to sign the form electronically, we will send you a link to access the consent form.

Once you are registered on the University Hospitals Plymouth Research Recruitment Register, we will send you our research bulletin about present and future research activity and invite you to take part in new studies that we believe may be suitable for you. Most importantly you do not have any obligation to take part in any of our studies.

Once we have contacted you regarding a study and you have expressed your potential interest, we will then invite you to our research centre to discuss the study further and, if you agree, obtain your consent to participate in the study. Taking part in any research study is entirely voluntary and once you have given your consent you can withdraw at any time without giving a reason.

A regular newsletter will be sent out informing you of research studies which have taken place and opportunities for new research studies. This will also include information on how to withdraw from the register.

You can also withdraw from the University Hospitals Plymouth Research Recruitment Register at any time for any reason, without affecting your medical treatment, by e-mailing plh-tr.rdplymouth@nhs.net or by calling us on +44 (0) 1752 432842. If you are having treatment through the NHS, being on this register or withdrawing from this register will not have any impact on your care.

All information collected about you will be kept strictly confidential. All our documents are stored securely and kept in strict confidence in compliance with UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act (2018).

 

If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact:

Plymouth Research and Development

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

The Research Office, Level 2, MSCP, Bircham Park Offices

1 Roscoff Rise, Plymouth, PL6 5FP

Tel: +44 (0) 1752 432842

email: plh-tr.rdplymouth@nhs.net