Take part in research
It’s vital for patients and the public to take part in health or social care research – find out what opportunities are available.
Patients, carers, and the public are essential to our work. We can make faster improvements to people’s health and care if more people take part in research.
More than 1 million participants took part in health and care studies across England in 2024-25 (supported by the NIHR RDN).
Research covered a range of conditions including depression, cancer and dementia, as well as research to prevent disease and keep the population healthier and improve the provision of social care.
In a survey of people who took part in NIHR research in 2024/25, the vast majority found it to be a positive experience, and over 91% of adults and 87% of children and young people said they would take part in research again.
Response in the Participant in Research Experience Survey (PRES) 2024/25 in South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust“I feel that my experiences are helping to improve understanding and to shape future treatments.”
Why take part?
People want to take part in health or social care research for many reasons:
- to learn more about their condition
- to improve health and social care for others, as well as giving hope for future generations.
- to be more closely and regularly monitored
- to try a new treatment or device
- to help researchers learn important new information.
How can I take part in research?
At the NIHR Maudsley BRC, there are several research areas, clinical trials and other studies that you could be involved in. These include:
- South London and Maudsley’s Take Part in Research website: search for and get involved with research taking place at South London and Maudsley and King’s College London.
- Consent for Contact (C4C) is South London and Maudsley’s research register for service users
- NIHR BioResource (including the GLAD and EDGI UK studies), a biobank which supports a wide range of health research.
- NIHR’s Be Part of Research is a free service which makes it easy to find and take part in vital health and care research across the UK. To get started with Be Part of Research, you need to be aged 18 or over and live in the UK.
If you do not find an opportunity via the links above, but would still like to take part in research, please ask your doctor, nurse or healthcare professional who may know of other research or opportunities available.
What's involved in taking part in research?
Visit the South London and Maudsley research webpages to read case studies and FAQs about taking part in a research study.