Why are health studies and research so important?

Did you know every time someone receives treatment for a health condition, it’s because of the many people who took part in health studies. In the UK, around a million people just like you take part in health studies every year.

Health studies help us to understand how to diagnose, treat and prevent illnesses and how people experience them in everyday life. When people hear “health study,” they often think of testing new medicines. While that can be part of research, there’s much more to it.

Taking part is always voluntary, and you can decide what feels right for you. By getting involved, you could help shape better healthcare for the future.

NHS Health Studies

Health studies help the NHS learn more about health so services and treatment can improve for everyone. Taking part can be simple and may involve completing surveys or sharing your views and experiences in a discussion. Every contribution helps shape better, fairer healthcare.

Building Long‑Lasting Opportunities

Our aim is to create simple ways for people to hear about health studies and take part. By doing this, we can make sure no one is left out and everyone has the chance to influence future health services and treatment.

Making Health Studies Fair and Inclusive

We want people from all communities to have the chance to take part in health studies. This means removing barriers and making it easy for anyone to get involved, no matter their background, culture, or life experience.

Who Can Take Part?

Everyone is welcome. People of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences can get involved in NHS health studies.

Why Take Part?

People choose to take part in health studies for many different reasons.

These might include:

Hoping to benefit from a new treatment or test
Wanting to improve care for others
Helping to strengthen and improve the healthcare system
Feeling reassured by closer monitoring during a study
Learning more about their own (or a loved one’s) health condition

Current Health Study Opportunities in Herefordshire and Worcestershire

GLAD

Ever wondered why some people become mentally ill and others don't? Researchers are looking for people with no experience or diagnosis of mental health disorders, to be part of their study. Be part of a comparison group to help researchers understand why anxiety and depression develop for some but not for others.

Find out more

Eating Disorders Genetic Initiative (EDGI)

Take part in this study to help researchers understand genetic and environmental risk factors for eating disorders. Individuals with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder or any other eating disorder are welcome to join. Research is open to anyone who is aged over 16, lives in England and has experienced any eating disorder.

Find out more

Trauma

Researchers are trying to understand the impact of trauma on mental health and are looking to hear from people who have had a traumatic experience.

These may include; serious accidents, life threatening illness, sexual or physical assault, childhood or domestic abuse or similar.

Find out more

If any of these relate to you, we’d like to understand how we can make taking part as easy and comfortable as possible.

Why Your Voice Matters

Your experiences help make health studies more representative of real communities. When more people take part, the NHS can design services and treatment that work better for everyone.

Our Partners

This work is delivered in partnership with the NHS, the National Institute for Health Research, and the Herefordshire and Worcestershire NHS Trust.

Want to Know More?

If you’d like more information or want to explore how you can get involved, please complete the contact form below for either Herefordshire or Worcestershire and one of our friendly team will come back to you.