Working with GP sites

The CRN provides a vast range of national and local resources and activities designed to support health and care organisations to be research active. The PRIDES Service is designed to help busy GP staff identify patients eligible for our portfolio studies as quickly and efficiently as possible.

How do GP Practices use Heath Informatics?

Each study will have a Lead LCRN. Lead LCRNs will work with Study Chief Investigators (CI) to set up the research study or clinical trial locally or nationally. As part of these discussions the Lead LCRN will help the CI decide how best to identify and recruit patients into their study. This may include the use of a Health Informatic (HI) to help identify and engage potentially eligible patients.

The HI for use in local GP Clinical Systems will be developed, tested and quality assured by the Lead LCRN PRIDES Team in collaboration with the study team. This HI will then be shared with local participating GP sites and as well as participating GP sites across England if its a national study.

Lead LCRNs will create user guides for GP sites to explain how to download, use and share the Health Informatics with other participating practices.

Our LCRN Primary Care and PRIDES teams comprise of Clinical Research Specialty Leads, GP champions, research nurses, research facilitators and others that facilitate research in a primary care setting within each region. Practices will be supported by the team in a number of ways including providing information about available studies, delivering studies within your practice and signposting to training.

Many LCRN regions run Research Site Initiatives (RSI) or Sessional Scheme funding for General Practices and other community sites to help them support the delivery of NIHR studies. Contact your local CRN to find out more.

Why should practices work with us?

By working with the Clinical Research Network you will be joining thousands of other General Medical Practices experiencing the following benefits for their patients and staff:

  1. Opportunities to be involved in research across a broad range of health specialties and interests.

  2. Peace of mind that clinical research studies offered to practices will be of a high quality and important to the NHS.

  3. Opportunities to be involved in commercial life sciences contract work which provides your practice with an additional funding stream.

  4. Access to NHS service support resources for research which can cover staff time.

  5. Opportunities to be part of a Research Sites scheme with funding to develop research delivery infrastructure in your practice.

  6. Eligibility for sessional payments to provide protected time to recruit patients into research studies.

  7. Access to Clinical Research Network-funded staff to support studies conducted in your practice.

  8. Access to advice and assistance to identify suitable participants for studies.

  9. Support with planning and practical measures before a study starts.

  10. Opportunities to undertake accessible training for the practice and your staff to become ‘research capable’.

Please visit your LCRN PRIDES Sharing Platform for details of specific Health Informatics for Primary Care studies as well as guidance and support for delivering a study in Primary Care.