Research

St Peter’s Medical Centre carries out research in collaboration with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the research arm of the NHS. You can find out more about the NIHR on their website.

We are grateful to the patients and carers who can give their time and commitment to help with medical research. Research is important to patients because it can help work out which treatments work better for which patients. Although patients may not directly benefit from taking part in research themselves, they may help inform better healthcare for future patients.

The “Ok to ask” campaign encourages more patients or carers to ask about research opportunities that could be available to them or loved ones. You can read more about this on their website, plus more about patient, carers and public involvement in research.

This General Practice will be supporting a research study called TRANSFORM

We are helping identify people registered with us to take part in a large study called TRANSFORM. TRANSFORM is being run by Imperial College London and funded by Prostate Cancer UK and the UK government’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

What is TRANSFORM?

TRANSFORM is a study that will try to find the best way to detect prostate cancer early. The study will help the NHS decide whether a national screening programme for prostate cancer should be introduced in the future.

Who could be invited?

Invitation letters are being sent to selected men aged 45 to 74. If you are invited, you will receive more details about the study and can decide if you would like to take part. The invitation will come from your GP practice on behalf of Imperial College London. If you choose to take part, you will be asked to give your consent.

Whose health records will be used?

The study will also use information from NHS records for some men who:

·       have not been invited

·       are eligible, but do not respond

This information is used in a secure and confidential way. The information will provide valuable evidence for the study. You do not need to do anything unless you wish to opt- out.

Don’t want your data used in TRANSFORM?

If you don’t want your health information to be used for TRANSFORM, you can opt-out at any time. Opting out will not affect your NHS care or your ability to take part in other screening programmes or studies in the future. To opt-out, please contact the TRANSFORM study team directly by email, phone or post:

Email: imperial.transformstudy@nhs.net

Phone: 020 7594 6002

Post: TRANSFORM Study Team

Imperial Clinical Trials Unit

1st Floor, Stadium House