
National Patient Recruitment Centres

The NIHR national Patient Recruitment Centres (PRCs) are the first family of NIHR-funded research facilities that are 100% dedicated to delivering commercial research.
Speed, efficiency, patient experience, innovation and continuous improvement are key drivers of this initiative.



Our PRCs are achieving their recruitment and set-up ambitions.
What are the PRCs?
Our Patient Recruitment Centres (PRCs) are purpose designed to:
- Increase the UK’s capacity to deliver commercial clinical research
- Make it easier and quicker to deliver commercial clinical research in the NHS
- Increase opportunities for patients to benefit from early access to innovation
- Provide a test bed for future innovation in clinical trial delivery.
With a special focus on common chronic conditions, these research facilities have a number of unique features which offer new ways to conduct late-phase, large-scale commercial research projects.
One collaboration, five sites
Our five centres make it easier and quicker to deliver commercial clinical research by offering:
- A single point of contact
- A single costing strategy
- Consistent standard operating procedures.
Dedicated to commercial research
We are the first family of NIHR-funded research centres that are 100% dedicated to delivering commercial research and we provide:
- Exceptional experience and expertise in working with life science companies and Contract Research Organisations
- Dedicated staff resource to deliver your trial
- State of the art facilities and exclusive space to run your study.
Patient focused
We prioritise the patient experience throughout their research journey. 97% of participants surveyed at our centres said they would take part in commercial research again. We offer:
- Initiatives to support patient recruitment and diversity in clinical trials
- A concierge-style service with accessible hours of operation
- Welcoming waiting areas with free refreshments and parking.
Site capability
Our centres have been specifically selected for their:
- Excellent track record in delivering commercial research
- Access to NHS clinical investigators to lead and conduct your research, across a wide range of therapeutic areas
- Ability to recruit patients for clinical trials beyond specialist hospital clinics and reach patients with common, chronic conditions
- Distinct opportunities to access diverse patient populations in areas of high disease prevalence
- Ability to rapidly scale up operations to meet individual trial requirements.
Innovation in delivery
We pride ourselves on being a test bed for innovation in terms of:
- Proactive and inclusive clinical trial recruitment strategies
- Data driven patient identification and engagement
- Pioneering trial capabilities, such as decentralised trial delivery
- Strong links to community care for recruitment and remote monitoring.
PRC Sites
Want to know more? Why not take a look around our Patient Recruitment Centre web pages:
Get in touch
If you are a life science company or Contract Research Organisation planning to run a study you can contact the national Patient Recruitment Centre Programme Office by email:
Participant of Relieve IBS-D virtual trial:
The team really put me at ease and have regularly checked up on me either by phone or through a web call. It has made the whole experience so much easier.
The fact that it’s virtual means there is no need to travel far in order to speak with the staff, which is useful as a student. The delivery of the product was very quick and efficient.
Read the full case study: Pushing virtual boundaries to improve patient engagement and accessibility
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