Participant Identification Centre (PIC) studies for GP practices

Participant Identification Centres (PICs) are NHS/health and social care organisations that identify potential research participants. Contact us if you would like to become a PIC site for any of these listed studies.

Accessing Continuity 362896 73707

Recruitment closes October 2026

Dear GP practices

Researchers at the University of Bristol, working with the Primary Care Academic CollaboraTive (PACT), are inviting general practice staff to take part in a national study. 

This study explores the level of relational continuity of care delivered in UK general practice and the associations between continuity of care and access systems in general practice. 

This study is open to anyone working in general practice in the UK (including non-clinical staff, students, and GP Registrars).  

We are looking for one participant from each practice to:

• Measure the continuity of care delivered in their practice using tools provided

• Complete a short questionnaire about their practice’s access systems

We will also invite a selection of participants to take part in a semi-structured interview.

By taking part, you will:

 Learn how to measure continuity of care in your practice 

 Receive a bespoke practice report to see how your continuity scores compare 

 Fulfil CPD/portfolio requirements and be named as a collaborating author on resulting publications                                              

 Help us gain a better understanding of how we can deliver better continuity of care to our patients

Click here to find out more and to register an interest in the study.    https://www.gppact.org/accessing-continuity 

Care-uk  IRAS:1009041

Recruitment closes 30/12/2026

The Care-uk study is looking to see if budesonide-formoterol reliever therapy can reduce asthma attacks in children aged 6-11 years. Budesonide-formoterol reliever has been shown to work well in older children and adults. However, this treatment option is not currently available to children under 12 years old due to insufficient existing clinical trial data. They will will compare the effectiveness, safety and cost effectiveness of this new inhaler compared to the current treatments.

Requirements: We are looking for PIC sites around the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. You are asked to

• Run a search and screen lists

• Sent text or email to Identified particpants

Payments:

• Service Support Costs: Search £46.42, check list for eligibility £45 for50 participants

• Research Costs: £13.50 for text or emails to potential participants

IDEAL BACKPACS - Improving the Diagnosis and Early referral of patients with AxiaL spondyloarthiritis: BACK Pain referral pAthway from Community to Specialist care IRAS: 339400

The IDEAL BACKPACS study is about improving the diagnosis and early referral of patients with axial spondyloarthritis. Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is an inflammatory condition affecting 270,000 people in the UK, causing pain, stiffness, and damage to the spine, pelvis, and joints.

Early diagnosis is critical for effective treatment, but delays lead to worse health outcomes. This study aims at recruiting 900 patients to develop a tool for GP computer systems to help GPs identify and refer patients with inflammatory back pain sooner.

Requirements: We are looking for PIC sites around the Newcastle area for The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The requirements are to run monthly searches, screen monthly lists and send text messages to eligible participants.

Payments: 

• Service Support Costs: £5.80 monthly database searchfor up to 15 months (£87.04 total), £22.50 monthly screening for up to 15 months (£337 total)

• Research costs: £100 study set-up

OPACE IRAS: 1006202

Recruitment closes 27/02/2027

The Opace study is is to be able to gain results to answer these questions. We want to establish the effects of stopping azithromycin in people whose COPD has stabilised, who have been taking it for at least 3 months. In this trial, we will compare continuing azithromycin, with stopping it completely, or stopping over the summer only, continuing over the winter. We will compare the effects of these three treatments in the trial on flare-ups, symptoms and quality of life and also find out what factors may affect how individual participants respond to them.

Requirements: This study is looking for PICs for Newcastle Hospitals and also the University of Cambridge. You are asked to 

• run searches and screen lists

• use the Docmail system to send out letters informing patients about the study

• Prepare a mail merge on an invite letter and add to the packs

•  Send the packs to the patients (postage paid)

• Sent a second invite to patients who do not respond

•  Also the option to do an additional text out to patients who do not respond.

Payments:

• Service support costs: Large practices with population >10,000 -Initial search and mailout £300, Repeat search and mailout £42

                                    Smaller practices with population <10,000 - Initial search and mailout: £200, Repeat search and mailout £30

• Research Costs: Larger practices with population > 10,000 - Search and both mailouts: £168

                           Smaller practices with population <10,000

Search and both mailouts: £120

RELMED-I trial IRAS: 345935

Recruitment closes: 30/04/2027

The RELMED-I trial is looking at how different antidepressant medications (escitalopram and bupropion) affect the brain's reinforcement learning processes in individuals with low mood or depression. The study aims to understand these mechanisms to improve how doctors choose antidepressants for patients in the future.

Requirements: The study team is looking for PIC sites for Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Trust - ideally practices around the Newcastle and North Tyneside area. You will be asked to

• run searches and screen lists

• use the Docmail system to send out letters informing patients about the study

• retain clinical responsibility

• obtain advice on any relevant matter from RELMED clinicians

Payments: 

• Service Support Costs: £124 study set-up and database search, £248 list screening per practice

• Research costs: £35.25 Docmail mailout, £62 clinical follow-up (flexible, if required)

The STARFISH trial - A randomised controlled trial of STeroid Administration Routes For Idiopathic Sudden sensorineural Hearing loss - IRAS 1004878

Recruitment closes: November 2026

The aim of the STARFISH trial is to find out the best method of giving steroid treatment for people with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. This is a condition that can occur suddenly and without an obvious cause. Recovery of hearing following this type of hearing loss may be helped by urgent treatment with steroids, but crucially we do not know if these work best given as tablets or by an injection through the ear drum.

Note: GP practices will not be set up as PIC sites for this study. They will be set up as referring sites only, as referring a patient with sudden hearing loss to A&E / ENT is already a standard pathway. There will be no contractual/green light process.

Requirements: Participating GP practices must refer patients into one of the following sites: Sunderland Royal Hospital, Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. Other requirements include installing a pop-up to SystmOne or EMIS during site set-up. During consultations, if the relevant codes for sudden hearing loss are inputted, the pop-up will appear advising the patient may benefit from referral to A&E/ENT for steroid treatment in accordance with NICE guidance. Following referral to A&E/ENT, any potential participants will be picked up by the research team located at the recruiting secondary care site, where they will be approached and screened for the STARFISH study.

Payments:

• Service Support Costs: £100.00 for site set-up and installation of the pop-up, £20.00 per participant recruited (the study team will inform us of participants that have been recruited and referred by referring GP practices)

ANTLER 75+ trial IRAS: 1009793

Recruitment closes: December 2026

The ANTLER 75+ trial is looking at the effectiveness of continuing anti-depressant medication to prevent depression relapse in people aged 75 or older.

Requirements: We are looking for PIC sites for Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust. There are no on-site visitig for this study, so there are no geographical limitations to PIC participation. The requirements for this study are:

• search for eligible participants using a pre-built search

• screening the list and removing any patients who are unsuitable for the study

• organising a mailout via Docmail

• liaise with the trust on pausing/resuming patients’ prescriptions 

Payments:

• Service Support Costs: £1.80 per patient screen of patient list, £200 study set-up (covers the cost of running the database search)

• Research costs: £13.65 mailout via Docmail

TRIUMPH trial IRAS:1010665

Recruitment closes: 30.11.2026

The TRIUMPH trial is recruiting women aged 18 to 50, located within North East England, to find out whether a medicine called mycophenolate mofetil (an anti-inflammatory treatment) can help women with thyroid underactivity (also known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis) who have ongoing symptoms such as tiredness, lethargy, weight issues, aches and pains and 'brain fog'.

Requirements: We are looking for PIC sites for The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The requirements for this study are:

• search for eligible participants using pre-built search

• screen the list and remove any patients who are unsuitable for the study

• text or mail out via Docmail

• coordinate with the RDN's Agile Research Delivery Team so participants can come into the practice for a blood test

Payments:

• Service Support Costs: £23.21 preparation for database search, £23.21 database search, £36 per 40 patients to check lists for exclusions

• Research costs: £113.21 local coordination and set up, £6.65 text message batch, £10.96 per 25 patients mail-out

ASCEnD study IRAS:1004252

Recruitment end date: 31/08/2027

The ASCEnD trial is looking at the clinical and cost-effectiveness of an aripiprazole / sertraline combination as a treatment for bipolar depression. The trial aims to recruit 270 adults with bipolar depression from primary and secondary care services across 9 centres in the UK.

Requirements: We are looking for PIC sites for the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust. Recruitment will take place at the CAPE clinic in central Newcastle. The requirements for this study are:

• run a pre-built search

• screen the list of patients to exclude anyone who is not eligible

• text out to eligible patients

Payments:

Service Support Costs: 

• Database search - £21

• Screen lists for exclusions - £90 (per 50 patients)

• Opportunistic invite per participant approached: GP - £4.50, pharmacist - £2.75, practice nurse - £1.16

Research costs:

• £113.21 PIC local coordination and set-up

• £13.29 mail-out using Docmail (per mail-out), or £6.65 per text message text-out

Sterling PMR IRAS: 1005826

Recruitment end date: 31/10/2026

This study is trying to find out whether adding a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) to steroid treatment helps people with polymyalgia rheumatica.

Requirements: We are looking for PIC sites James Cook University Hospital and Newcastle Hospitals. The requirements are to

• run a pre-built search

• screen the list of patients to exclude anyone who is not eligible

• mail-out via Docmail to eligible patients

Payments:

Service Support Costs:

• database search £21

• eligibility check (exclusions) £44

• add pop-up to GP system to identify patients opportunistically during appointments £4

Research costs:

• Study specific training (reading through guidelines for conducting search and mail out) £121 one off payment