Research

Within CLPCN we promote research and encourage patients to get involved in research projects that are likely to make a difference to our populations, to the NHS and to broader scientific knowledge. We work closely with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) – Community Research Network for the North West Coast. The NIHR promotes and funds some of research within the NHS.

Why take part? What’s in it for you?

  • You will be able to take part in research projects relating to your medical conditions and potentially find better treatments or improvement in health and wellbeing.

What’s in it for the NHS and for scientific knowledge?

  • We sometimes need patients and carers to share their insight, expertise and experiences with researchers to prioritise types of research, to improve health care and to improve health outcomes. For example research helps:
    • Provide lifechanging treatments
    • Diagnose disease earlier and better
    • Prevent people from developing conditions
    • Ensure people have a better quality of life.

See table below for current research.

Study name Who can take part? Which sites are taking part? Why take part? (incentives)
ACTIVATE- Cardiac rehabilitation for people with chronic angina Any adult with a diagnosis of chronic stable angina
  • Brownlow Health @Central
  • Brownlow Health @Princes Park
  • Brownlow Health @Kensington
  • Vauxhall Health Centre
  • Elms Medical Centre
 The ‘Activate your heart’ intervention could help improve your angina.
ASYMPTOMATIC – reducing the amount of steroids your child with mild asthma may need Children 6-15years old with mild asthma, on a steroid inhaler
  • Vauxhall
  • Brownlow (Central, Princes Park, Kensington)
  • Dingle Park
  • Abercromby
  • Elms
 Your child may not need steroids all through the year if they have mild asthma. This study could mean lots of growing children are not exposed to potentially harmful steroids.
DISCOVER ME – health and genetic data collection to understand clinical disease progression in primary care age of 18 All practices Your anonymised data would contribute to understanding disease pathology in primary care.
IID3 – understanding which bugs (bacteria and viruses) cause acute diarrhoea and vomiting. Any age, with <= 2 weeks of diarrhoea or vomiting. All practices You will know if you have a treatable form of diarrhoea, or will find out, out of interest what you had (if it was an infectious cause).
UKEDI – new onset diabetes, >50 years old to check for possible presence of pancreatic cancer. Any age All practices You will have a few extra blood tests which are markers to check if you may have pancreatic cancer (a very rare cause of diabetes).
VAUXHALL ONLY
DURATION- if you have a urine infection you would be randomised into different types of antibiotics and duration of treatment (from 1 to 14 days) Adults >18 years old, not pregnant, no recent urine infection Vauxhall You may be able to get better with a shorter or longer duration of antibiotic therapy.
OPTIMISE 2 – deprescribing blood pressure tablets in older adults who are at risk of adverse events from these medications Age >=75 years old; on antihypertensive medication, no heart attack/stroke in last 6 months Vauxhall You may be at more risk of developing side effects and complications (like falls), than you are to get benefit of reducing your blood pressure so when older the thought is  now not to treat the blood pressure to be too low.
BROWNLOW HEALTH ONLY
ATHENA – preventing nerve pain after shingles (post herpetic neuralgia) Adults within the first 5 days of developing shingles Brownlow all sites If randomised to the intervention you would be offered a tablet that may stop you developing nerve pain that many people get when they develop shingles.
DIAMOND – low carbohydrate diet in people with type 2 diabetes Adults with type 2 diabetes Brownlow Group Practice (Central) If randomised you would get access to a supported diet package to help improve your diabetes through diet, thus may lead to you reducing the medication that you are taking.

Updated 7th May 2024

If you are interested

Who to contact: