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Patients to access clinical trials via NHS App
As government plans a £50m upgrade of the NHS App, people will be able to sign up to clinical trials that will match them to available studies
The government aims to increase clinical research through allowing people to search and sign up for clinical trials via the NHS App.
This is part of the government’s 10-year health plan, due to be published shortly, to speed up trials and find new ways to treat diseases such as cancer.
Using the app, people will be able to search for suitable trials based on their interests and needs, and eventually the app will automatically patch patients with relevant clinical studies based on their health data and interests.
The scheme is part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s (NIHR’s) Be Part of Research service on the NHS App.
Commenting on the move, health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said it will put NHS patients “at the front of the queue” for new cutting-edge treatments.
“The NHS App will become the digital front door to the NHS and enable all of us as citizens to play our part in developing the medicines of the future,” he said. “The British people showed they were willing to be part of finding the vaccine for Covid, so why not do it again to cure cancer and dementia? By slashing through red tape and making it easier for patients to take part, reforms in our 10-year plan will grow our life sciences sector, generate new funds for the NHS to reinvest in frontline care, and benefit patients through better medicines.”
The government hopes this will clear the backlog on clinical trials, as it plans to cut set-up times for clinical trials. It will also publish figures on the number of trials at each NHS trust and other organisations. Reporting data will be mandatory, and government funding will only be given to those able to prove they can “support the NHS to deliver the treatments of tomorrow”.
Funding boost
Earlier this month, the government announced £10bn for NHS technology in the Spending Review, and the NHS will invest £50m to upgrade the NHS App this year, ensuring more people use the app to get appointment reminders and other healthcare messages.
“People are living increasingly busy lives and want to access information about their health at the touch of a button, rather than having to wait weeks for letters that often arrive too late,” said Streeting. “This government is bringing our analogue health service into the digital age, so that being a patient in the NHS is as convenient as online banking or ordering a takeaway.”
This means that over the next three years, patients will receive all NHS messages through the app first, and when the app is not available, a text will be sent.
The government aims for this to save around £200m over the next three years and reduce the number of missed appointments.
A community first
Last month, Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust (CLCH) became the first in the country to integrate with the NHS App.
Community NHS trusts have struggled more than secondary and primary care services to upgrade their technology, with fragmented systems and limited interoperability meaning they are unable to integrate with the app.
CLCH has managed to connect one of their electronic patient record systems (EPRs), using patient engagement platform DrDoctor as part of a pilot. This means some patients are not able to use their NHS App to view appointments as well as receive reminders through push notifications.
The trust is currently working with DrDoctor to integrate its second EPR, SystmOne, with the app.
CLCH CIO Andrew Chronias said that allowing patients to view their appointments in the app “reduces unnecessary printing of letters and SMS text reminder costs, and allows real-time updates of any changes”.
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