UHP leading the way in patient centred research
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) are celebrating the recent landmark of leading the way in clinical research.
Recently, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) ran clinical trials with 33,374 patients being recruited from UHP. This currently ranks the Trust in first place for our NIHR regional reporting metrics, and in second place nationally, just behind Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, based in London.
John Houghton, a 67-year-old patient from Tavistock, was one of the patients who took part in the PADOVA study for Parkinson’s disease. Diagnosed in 2021, John joined the trial after being contacted by our research team. Since then, he has attended regular sessions at Derriford Hospital, initially part of the double-blind phase and now continuing with open-label treatment.
Last month John shared his story with the Board, highlighting the benefits of participating in research: “It’s a great comfort knowing I have regular access to the Parkinson’s team. I’ve noticed improvements in dexterity and mobility, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend joining a study to others.”
Speaking about the trial, Michael Visick, Clinical Research Director said: “This particular trial was about testing the effectiveness of a drug which was believed to slow the progression of Parkinson’s Disease. It was an open label trial which means that John could continue taking the drug even after the 2-year trial has finished.
John is 67 years young and the longer we can keep John young and active, the better for everyone.”
UHP are 1 of 9 hospitals in the UK conducting the Padova trial, with a total of 586 patients throughout the country being recruited. The study is a multi-centre, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluating the safety and effectiveness of prasinezumab, a drug that may slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease.
The Trust is continuing to champion research, with UHP currently leading the Peninsula in the number of actively recruiting clinical trials, outperforming our own numbers from 2024, with overall recruitment compared to last year increasing by 1,491% to 33,922.
UHP’s Mobile Research Units have been instrumental in the Trusts’ achievements with research, this innovation has been designed to bring health research directly into the communities, improving accessibility and engagement in clinical trials. These units align with national healthcare priorities by reducing health inequalities, enhancing preventative care, and shifting research into community settings.
You can find more information about Research and Development at UHP, on our website.
