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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Michael Savage

Ministers plan to use NHS app to expand clinical trials as part of UK-wide drive

NHS United Kingdom Clinical Trial England
A saline drip next to a woman lying in a hospital bed
A study last year found that the number of patients entering UK clinical trials fell by 27% between 2018 and 2023. Photograph: Thanapol Kuptanisakorn/Alamy

The government is aiming for a significant expansion of clinical trials in the UK, and plans to use the NHS app to encourage millions of people in England to take part in the search for new treatments.

Patients will eventually be automatically matched with studies based on their health data and interests, via the app. The plans envisage alerting them to the trials using smartphone notifications.

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