Patient Recruitment Centres

Patient Recruitment Centres (PRCs) are NIHR-funded research facilities dedicated to delivering late-phase and large-scale commercial clinical research in the NHS and wider health and care environment. Learn what we mean by 'commercial' research.

There are 5 PRCs in the UK.

Speed, efficiency, patient experience, innovation and continuous improvement are the key drivers of these five purpose-built centres which exclusively deliver commercial research at pace and scale.

Five reasons to place your research at our PRCs

This short video (under 3 minutes) highlights some of the stand-out features of the PRC offer to industry.

 

Key benefits of the Patient Recruitment Centres

With a special focus on common chronic conditions, these research facilities have a number of unique features.

Patient focused

Our concierge-style service offers accessible hours of operation, welcoming waiting areas with free refreshments and parking for your participants. 97% of participants surveyed at our centres said they would take part in research again at a PRC.

Purpose-designed

Our state-of-the-art facilities are tailored for delivering late-phase, large-scale commercial research.

Collaborative

Our five connected sites may be geographically dispersed but our processes are streamlined with a single point of contact and consistent standard operating procedures.

Wider recruitment reach

We design proactive and inclusive recruitment strategies that can reach beyond specialist hospital clinics and access diverse patient populations in areas of high disease prevalence. For example, we have strong links to primary and community care for recruitment and remote monitoring.

Dedicated to commercial research

Our dedicated teams are experienced in working with sponsor companies and Contract Research Organisations and understand the demands of delivering commercial research.

Operational flexibility

We can rapidly scale up operations to meet individual trial requirements.

Innovative research delivery

We provide a test bed for innovation in clinical trial delivery including data-driven patient identification and engagement and pioneering trial capabilities, such as decentralised trial delivery.

Access to investigators

We have access to NHS clinical investigators to lead and conduct your research, across a wide range of therapeutic areas.

 

Key performance indicators - financial year 2022/23

  • 42.5 days site initiation to site open
  • 97% positive participant experience
  • 85% recruitment to time and target
Key performance indicators for 2022/23 financial year

Our PRC sites

Want to know more? Why not take a look around our Patient Recruitment Centre web pages.

PCR Map

Further information about our PRCs

News: PRCs exceed targets for commercial research

Read how the PRCs have exceeded targets for set-up and recruitment to commercial studies

Case study: Excellent retention rates

Read a case study on how the PRCs achieved 95% retention rate in a Moderna vaccine trial

Case study: Decentralised delivery

Read a case study describing decentralised delivery of the Relieve IBS-D trial.

Case study: Rapid recruitment

Read a case study about the rapid delivery of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine study.

Video: Participants’ perspective

Hear the patients' perspective as they share their experiences of taking part in trials at the PRCs.

Request a brochure

Request a copy of our PRC brochure (PDF) to learn more about what our five PRCs have to offer using the contact details below. Or read the plain text accessible version on our website.

Explore more support from the NIHR

This service is just one of the ways we help life science organisations. Visit our NIHR support for industry page to discover our full range of support or explore all our services and support.

Contact the Industry team

Fill out our contact form to request a chat with our team. We aim to reply as soon as possible and always within two business days.

Contact the Industry team