UK’s largest health research programme is coming to the British Muslim Heritage Centre in Manchester 

Our Future Health, the UK’s largest health research programme, aims to transform the prevention, detection and treatment of conditions such as dementia, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. With the aim of recruiting up to five million volunteers right across the UK, the goal is to create one of the most detailed pictures ever of people’s health.    

Our Future Health wants its volunteers reflect the whole UK population, as this will help ensure that all communities benefit equally from the breakthroughs that it leads to. It is particularly focusing on recruiting from communities that have previously been underrepresented in health research, and as part of this it is bringing mobile clinics into the heart of these communities, including places of worship.  

Over the coming months, Our Future Health will be present in a number of locations across Manchester. It will work with the British Muslim Heritage Centre to promote the programme to its congregation. Representatives from Our Future Health will be attending Friday prayers on the 17th & 24th November to explain more about the programme and answer questions, and then the centre will host a mobile clinic from the 29th November to 6th December, which will be available to deliver volunteer appointments. 

At their clinic appointment, as well as having a blood sample and some physical measurements taken, volunteers will be offered information about their own health, including their blood pressure and cholesterol levels. In the future, volunteers will also be given the option to receive feedback about their risk of some diseases and have the opportunity to take part in cutting-edge research studies.   

Anyone over the age of 18 can join by signing up online at www.ourfuturehealth.org.uk, completing an online health questionnaire, and booking a short clinic appointment.   

Dr Raghib Ali, Chief Executive and Chief Medical Officer of Our Future Health, said:  

“Our goal is to make it easier than ever for everyone across the UK to take part in health research, particularly people who may not have done something like this before. We need every kind of person to take part, so that every kind of person can benefit from Our Future Health’s discoveries.  

“As someone who is from the Muslim community myself, I know that people like me have been under-represented in health research in the past and that this, in turn, has helped widen health inequalities. That is why I’m determined Our Future Health will include people from all communities, and that is why we’re proud to be partnering with the British Muslim Heritage Centre. This is a real opportunity for people from Muslim backgrounds to do something positive that will help their families and their communities in the future.” 

Photos and videos of the mobile clinics can be downloaded here.    

 
ENDS

Contact: media@ourfuturehealth.org.uk  

Notes to editors:  

Interviews available with spokespeople and volunteers on request.    

Images and videos, credit to Our Future Health,  downloadable from here.    

YouTube link for mobile clinic video: https://youtu.be/uX1Nr5A6e54    

About Our Future Health    
Our Future Health is a collaboration between the public, charity and private sectors to build the UK’s largest health research programme – bringing people together to develop new ways to prevent, detect and treat disease.    

Our Future Health is committed to the highest standards, policies and processes that protect participants’ confidentiality, whilst maximising the opportunity to help researchers to tackle serious diseases. Volunteers’ data will be de-identified and held securely in trusted research environments that meet strict security criteria. Our Future Health data and samples is only available to registered researchers conducting health research for the public good and is strictly controlled through an access process. All researchers will be held to the same standards.    

Our Future Health is a member of the UK Health Data Research Alliance, the independent alliance of leading healthcare and research organisations establishing best practice for the ethical use of UK health data for research at scale.    
    
Our Future Health is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (number 12212468) and a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1189681) and OSCR, Scottish Charity Regulator (charity number SC050917).    

To sign up follow this link – or see our website for more information.