UK’s largest health research programme will open 19 new clinic locations in April
There will be five new mobile clinics in Brent, Bromley, Chorley, Corby and Ripon. In addition, there will be new clinics in shopping centres in Bristol, Liverpool, Nottingham and Sheffield. The programme is also opening clinics in an additional 10 Boots stores: Beckton Gallions, City of London, Croydon, Covent Garden, Greenford, Kew, Kingston, Staines, Tottenham Court Road, Uxbridge.
Our Future Health aims to transform the prevention, detection and treatment of conditions such as dementia, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. With 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.
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.
Working in collaboration with the NHS, the programme is sending invitation letters to people who live near the new clinics. Anyone over the age of 18 can join by signing up online, completing an online health questionnaire, and booking a short clinic appointment.
Rachel Nidoy, 36, lives in Tottenham and joined Our Future Health at our mobile clinic in Hackney in March
“I hope this research will help find any predisposing factors that lead to disease, and what effect race or lifestyle have. My parents both have type 2 diabetes, and when I was pregnant I had gestational diabetes as well, so if there’s something in my blood/genetics that can help this study then that will be great.”
Simon Cumming, 60, lives in Leeds and joined Our Future Health at the University of Leeds in March
“I joined Our Future Health to give something back and to do something to help health conditions in the future. It was easy to come to the clinic and get all the tests done as I live just down the road.”
Dr Raghib Ali OBE, Chief Medical Officer at Our Future Health, said:
“Our clinics are rapidly reaching more communities across the UK, giving more people than ever the opportunity to learn more about their own health and help people live healthier lives for longer. By placing our clinics in settings that people come across in their everyday routine, such as supermarkets, train stations and Boot stores, we’re making it easy and convenient for everyone to contribute to health research, particularly people who have never done something like this before.”
Photos and videos of the mobile clinics can be downloaded here.
Our Future Health is rolling out on a region-by-region basis to invite adults across the UK to join the programme. Volunteers who don’t live near a location where Our Future Health appointments are currently available can join now and be notified when new appointment locations become available.
New locations will be announced on the Our Future Health website and social media channels.
Our Future Health is an ambitious collaboration between the public sector, life sciences companies and leading UK health charities including: Action Against Age-related Macular Degeneration, Alzheimer’s Society, Asthma + Lung UK, Blood Cancer UK, Breast Cancer Now, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Diabetes UK, Kidney Research UK, Pancreatic Cancer UK, Parkinson’s UK, Prostate Cancer UK, Royal Osteoporosis Society and Stroke Association.
ENDS
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 hub video: https://youtu.be/uX1Nr5A6e54
Contact: lucy.benson@ourfuturehealth.org.uk
About Our Future Health
Our Future Health is a collaboration between the public, private and charity sectors. It aims to be 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. Participants’ data will be de-identified and held securely in trusted research environments that meet strict security criteria. There will be a robust and transparent access process to ensure appropriate research access to Our Future Health data and samples for registered researchers. 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).
About NHS DigiTrials
NHS DigiTrials, hosted by NHS England, offers data services to support clinical trials. We help reduce the time, effort and cost of developing new drugs, treatments and services, bringing benefits to patients, the public and the NHS.
Opt-out from receiving an invitation – People who have previously opted out of sharing health data for planning and research purposes, by submitting a National Data Opt-out, will not receive an invitation letter to join the programme via NHS England (who host the NHS DigiTrials service). People who do not want to receive an invitation letter from NHS England can opt out by completing the form on the NHS DigiTrials webpage.
To sign up follow this link – or see our website for more information.