We are one of the UK's largest single-site practices, located at the University of Nottingham. We have been involved in research for over twenty years and have been the first to recruit to studies globally.
Contact us: nnicb-nn.research@nhs.net
Principal Investigator
Dr Simon Royal is the National Primary Care Lead for the NIHR and is passionate about bringing research into a Primary Care setting. He has over 20 years of research experience, including leading urgent public health COVID-19 vaccine trials and being Chief Investigator for the RSV infant trial Harmonie. His specialities are preventative medicine, mental health, and respiratory medicine.
Dr Owen Hughes is a partner at Cripps Health Centre and has a background in drug discovery research prior to becoming a GP. He is a Sub-I for the RSV Harmonie study and leads the mental health research at site.
Specialties
The UNHS has an extensive research portfolio, primarily carrying out vaccine trials but also studies within the following specialities (involving both adult and paediatric participants) : -
Preventative Medicine
Sexual Health
Mental Health
Respiratory
Gastroenterology
Patient Population
We have 43,000 registered patients
Please find a breakdown of our patient demographic here.
Facilities and assets
A large research bay with beds
40+ clinical consulting rooms
A “hot room” for reviewing patient with infections such as Covid-19
Minor operation suites
Physiotherapy areas
Two pharmacy rooms
Research-specific unblinded pharmacy rooms
In-house microscope, research-dedicated centrifuge, fridges and freezers (including -80C freezer)
On-site archiving facilities to store site files
We use the EMIS HER system
Separate monitoring spaces for blinded and unblinded
We accommodate remote monitoring
On-call staff for monitoring visits
Experienced with innovative research methods such as eConsent, eDiaries and remote visits
We are experienced in creating and developing population searches and eCRF templates
Staff
Lead Research GP
Research experienced GPs
Two experienced Primary Care Research Nurses
Research Administrator
Two Pharmacists
Clinical staff* are GCP and consent trained with experience of carrying out research trials
*GPs; ANPs; pharmacists; practice nurses; physiotherapists; HCAs; health and wellbeing team
Study set-up
Capacity to work to very tight deadlines, from experience in setting up and running multiple urgent public health clinical trials, including COVID-19 vaccines
Approximate timing for contracts and confirmation and capacity is 1-2 days
Experience with the online interactive Costing Tool
We pride ourselves in our quick set-up time and have been the first to recruit globally to the Harmonie study, the first in Europe for the GSK Staph.A vaccine trial and the first to recruit for the COV009 and ComCOV-3 trial.
"I was able to take part in a study to enhance public health, which also monitored my health."
Primary Care research participant, East Midlands
96% of participants in Primary Care research studies in the East Midlands say that they would consider taking part in research again
"I learned a lot of different things. It gave me confidence and I enjoyed it very much."
Primary Care research participant, East Midlands
We were the 2021 Winners for the NIHR “Special Judges Award” for carrying out COVID-19 research, mentoring other sites and continuing the efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic.
Collaborations
We have a long history of collaboration with secondary care, the University of Nottingham and other GP practices.
Cripps has mentored multiple GP practices and research centres, discussing logistical challenges and key aspects to carry out vaccine trials in a primary care setting.