The NHS App will soon enable patients to browse and sign up for clinical trials through a new automated matching system, as part of the UK government's ambitious plan to streamline clinical research and reduce setup times by 40% within two years.
The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced that the "Be Part of Research" service will automatically match patients with relevant studies based on their health data and personal interests, sending push notifications when new trials become available. This digital initiative forms a cornerstone of the government's 10-year health plan aimed at positioning NHS patients "at the front of the queue for new cutting-edge treatments."
Addressing the UK's Clinical Trial Delays
Currently, the UK takes approximately 250 days to set up clinical trials compared to Spain's 100-day benchmark, according to DHSC data. The government has set an ambitious target to reduce commercial trial setup times to 150 days by March 2026, which officials describe as "the most ambitious reduction in trial set-up times in British history."
Health Secretary Wes Streeting emphasized the strategic importance of this initiative, stating: "The 10-year plan for health will marry the genius of our country's leading scientific minds, with the care and compassion of our health service, to put NHS patients at the front of the queue for new cutting-edge treatments."
The delays stem from what DHSC characterizes as "unnecessary bureaucracy and duplication of activities across different agencies and sites." Researchers currently must negotiate separate contracts with each relevant NHS area, but the government has committed to introducing a "national standardised contract" to streamline this process.
Performance Transparency and Funding Incentives
The new system will include unprecedented transparency measures, making public the number of trials sponsored by commercial and non-commercial entities at specific NHS trusts and partner organizations including universities. This data will reveal which institutions are "performing well and which are falling behind," according to DHSC.
Funding allocation will be restructured to reward performance, with NHS trusts demonstrating superior trial execution receiving prioritized funding. This performance-based approach aims to create competitive incentives for improving research efficiency across the healthcare system.
Professor Lucy Chappell, chief scientific adviser at DHSC and chief executive of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), noted: "Ensuring all sites are consistently meeting the 150-day or less set-up time will bring us to the starting line, but together we aim to go further, faster to ensure the UK is a global destination for clinical research to improve the health and wealth of the nation."
Market Opportunity and Diversity Focus
The initiative launches against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding global clinical trials market, estimated to reach at least $80 billion (approximately £59 billion) by 2030, according to Professor Andrew Morris, president of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
The program places particular emphasis on engaging under-represented communities, specifically encouraging participation from young, Black, and South Asian populations. Professor Morris highlighted that making research accessible to all communities can help "ensure that medical innovation benefits reach every corner of society."
However, he cautioned that "success will depend on earning trust and addressing the broader barriers to diverse participation."
Disease-Specific Applications
Dr. Richard Oakley, associate director of research and innovation at Alzheimer's Society, welcomed the initiative's potential impact on dementia research. "With a growing pipeline of drugs for Alzheimer's disease currently in trials, it's vital programmes like this streamline recruitment so we can ensure these emerging treatments work for everyone," he stated.
The app announcement coincides with the NIHR's launch of a UK-wide clinical trials recruitment drive, reflecting the government's broader strategy to leverage digital health infrastructure for research advancement.
Streeting drew parallels to the UK's COVID-19 vaccine development success, asking: "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?"
