Regional roll-out of Our Future Health invitations begins in Bradford 

News – 1 July 2022
Our Future Health will shortly begin sending letters to people in Bradford, giving them the option to join the UK’s largest ever health research programme.

Working in collaboration with NHS DigiTrials as part of their Recruitment Support Services Pilot, we will begin sending letters from 1 August 2022 to people over 18 living in Bradford, inviting them to join the research programme. The use of NHS data for this purpose has been approved by the Health Research Authority , following advice from the Confidentiality Advisory Group, which  provides robust scrutiny of the use of NHS patient data, ensuring it is only allowed when it benefits health and care.   

More people across the UK will be invited to join in the coming months as our regional roll out continues. The ultimate aim is for millions of people to take part and help to build one of the most detailed pictures we’ve ever had of people’s health. 

Volunteering to join  

Volunteers who decide to join Our Future Health are asked to read and sign a consent form, fill in a questionnaire and allow us to securely link to their health records, then provide a small sample of blood and some physical measurements at an appointment in a local pharmacy or clinic. Learn more about taking part in Our Future Health. 

The information and samples donated by volunteers will help us to build a world-leading resource for health researchers. In future, we are also aiming to provide volunteers with the option to receive feedback about their health, if they wish to receive it, and offer them the opportunity to take part in additional cutting-edge research studies.  

The programme 

Today, millions of people spend many years of their later life in poor health. And too often, we treat diseases only when patients start showing symptoms. Our goal is to help transform the prevention, detection and treatment of conditions such as dementia, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke, so future generations can live in good health for longer.  

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 Digital (who host the NHS DigiTrials service). People who do not want to receive an invitation letter from NHS Digital can opt out by completing the form on the NHS DigiTrials webpage. 

Learn more 

Read more about NHS DigiTrials.