How Patient-centric, Independent Clinical Trial Sites Are Driving Patient Access & ROI

Running clinical trials in the UK has not been an easy thing to do over the last several years. The number of new (interventional) Phase 3 clinical trials initiated declined, and are yet to recover, and so have patient participation rates. Furthermore, the administration and logistics behind getting approvals and then initiating trials has proven to be both lengthy and costly, thanks to duplicative efforts that are often required due to the way NHS Trusts have been set up.

Yet despite all of this, the UK remains a country with multiple favourable factors in place when it comes to running clinical trials:

• Diversity - the UK has an incredibly diverse population. 1 in 6 UK residents are born outside the UK and their backgrounds are just as diverse with the top ten countries of their birth ranging from India and Pakistan to South Africa and Nigeria to Poland and Romania, with multiple different nationalities in between.[1]
• Experienced Researchers – not only does the UK have a history of training award-winning researchers, but they also continue to incentivise international researchers to come to the UK. Further, they do not have to commit to forming partnerships with academic entities but can also partner with commercial entities.[2]
• Value – this is two-fold, with the costs of running trials in the UK being substantially less than the US and comparative to their EU counterparts, as well as providing value for money spent with access to top researchers and diverse patient population.

The above factors represent the reasons why the UK has previously been viewed as a global leader in clinical research and, of course, are a factor in the country’s recovery in this sector. Except what if there was no need to wait for a recovered NHS system to start running your trial in the UK? What if you could tap into the country’s diverse patient population and access experienced site teams and Principal Investigators (PIs) today?

Private Research = Accelerated Study Startup

Private, or industry / commercial (as they are often referred to in the UK), research sites have the incredible benefit of not being encumbered by much of the red tape that their government-funded academic and NHS counterparts are. Once MHRA approval has been given, it is much faster for trials to be initiated at private sites – and more streamlined. They don’t have the contracting and then multiple internal approval processes to go through just to initiate a study at a single site / NHS Trust / academic institution. Further, private research sites are very often partnered with or operating under larger organisations. This ultimately means both approval and trial start-up times can be accelerated as only one set of approvals may be needed.

Private research sites are not competing for government funding – by working directly with Sponsors and CROs, there is no need. This enables them to, again, accelerate start-up timelines as there is less time spent on endless applications and negotiations and more time spent on getting trial ready.

Yet one of the key areas that has been noted as lacking is collaboration[3] with those restricted by red tape. And this is important as it is the NHS (and linked organisations) that have access to a critical tool in patient recruitment – the patients and patient records. The ability for the NHS to transfer patient information, internally, across the UK is one of its most powerful and attractive tools.

Another roadblock that all traditional research sites in the UK experience, regardless of whether they’re private or not, are the common barriers to patient participation. These are the same faced by their counterparts in the US – needing to travel to and from sites and the time, money, and logistical challenge that can often present.

So where private research may have an initial head start, it can end up losing time once it comes to actually executing on the trial as they battle with the ever-present issue of patient enrollment and retention.

Private Research + Patient-centricity = ROI For All

What leaning on private research sites has shown in the UK is that there is definitely a place and a need for them. However, to truly maximise their contribution to rebuilding and growing the industry, they need to go one step further in their approach and thinking.

Part of this is actually going back to the NHS and looking at constructive and progressive ways to collaborate when it comes to providing access to patient populations. Further, it requires working with site networks and patient advocacy groups. Being able to do this is a key step in rapidly accessing patient populations across the UK.

The next step, once the right patients have been identified is getting the trials to these patients. And that’s the message – bringing trials to patients, not expecting patients to try and get to the trials. The UK’s transport system is notoriously difficult to use, and the roads for private care-users are just as bad.[4,5] For patient’s and/or their caregivers, just physically trying to get to clinics, private or otherwise, is becoming increasingly time-consuming, stressful and difficult – not to mention then needing to deal with time-off from work and other logistical challenges that may follow.

This is where patient-centric and community-based private sites are needed, clinics, like those of VCTC, that are open and accessible to those living in UK towns and surrounding villages. And it’s not just about location – it’s about operating hours as well. By having clinics open outside of the traditional 9am – 5pm, more patients are able to schedule visits that work for them.

Taking patient-centricity even further is the pop-up clinic model. VCTC has run several successful studies with pop-up mobile clinics - bringing trials to those harder to reach patients. To enhance this approach, VCTC is part of the MRN global Site Network – allowing every site access to Decentralized Trial (DCT) solutions like Home Trial Support (HTS) – delivering hybrid solutions that are all focused on making clinical trials in the UK faster to initiate, faster to recruit and more likely to retain patients, and complete trials on time or ahead of schedule.

The VCTC approach makes the UK a key destination for clinical trials again – by ensuring return on investment for Sponsors while providing key healthcare benefits to patients, no matter where they live.

Learn how VCTC can support your UK clinical trial today.

References:

1. Office for National Statistics. International migration, England and Wales: Census 2021. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/internationalmigrationenglandandwales/census2021#country-of-birth. Last Accessed August 2025.

2. UK Research & Innovation. UK launches scheme to attract world class researchers. June 2025. https://www.ukri.org/news/uk-launches-scheme-to-attract-world-class-researchers/. Last Accessed August 2025.

3. BMJ. Clinical research in the UK is failing: universities and NHS trusts need to change. Rapid Responses 2025;388:r469. https://www.bmj.com/content/388/bmj.r469/rr. Last Accessed August 2025.

4. Wordline UK&I. Written evidence submitted by Wordline UK&I (FTD0025). August 2023. https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/123483/pdf/. Last Accessed August 2025.

5. The Times. Driving in Britain increasingly miserable, survey finds. July 2025. https://www.thetimes.com/uk/transport/article/brits-dislike-driving-survey-7thl35ssp. Last Accessed August 2025.