More than 25,000 take part in Oxfordshire health and care research
22 July 2026
More than 25,000 participants took part in vital health and care research in Oxfordshire last year, according to new data published by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
Nearly 10,000 of these participated in studies at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH), which manages the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, Churchill Hospital, Oxford; Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford and Horton General Hospital, Banbury
As well as hospitals, the Oxfordshire figures include people who took part in studies in the community, such as GP surgeries, schools, pharmacies and care homes, reflecting the government’s ambition to shift healthcare from hospitals into communities.
And Oxfordshire residents are being urged to join more than 10,000 other people from the county who have signed up to be notified about studies they could take part in at the Be Part of Research website.
The NIHR helped health and care organisations recruit 878,698 volunteers for 4,536 recruiting studies across England in the 12 months from 1 April 2025. This brings the total number of participants taking part in research in England to over 7.4 million since April 2020, helping solve some of the UK's biggest health and care challenges.
Volunteers contributed to vital NIHR-supported research in Oxfordshire, including:
a study into whether screening a newborn's genetic sequence helps find and treat about 200 rare conditions early
an online survey tracking the health and wellbeing of people living with cancer to discover what community support they need most
a major UK project gathering health and lifestyle data from people treated for skin cancer (melanoma) to understand the disease and predict its return
an online European study following people with psoriasis to find early risk factors for joint pain, helping doctors intervene before permanent joint damage occurs
Oxfordshire research leaders welcomed the number of people who took part in research.
Professor Adrian Banning, Director of Research and Development at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “These figures demonstrate the fundamental importance of clinical research to our services within Oxford University Hospitals. They show that our partnerships with Oxford University, Oxford Brookes University and Oxford Health are generating practice changing outcomes. We are grateful to those patients who have already participated and our ambitious future plans anticipate giving even more patients the opportunity to participate in research as part of their treatment.”
Participating in health research helps develop new treatments, improve the NHS, public health and social care, and save lives. The 2025/26 figures show in Oxfordshire:
9,885 participants took part in 488 studies at OUH
10,915 people took part in 28 studies in Oxfordshire managed by the University of Oxford
2,427 participants took part in 52 studies in Oxfordshire managed by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, which provides physical, mental health and social care at sites including Oxford’s Warneford Hospital
1,723 participants took part in studies at GP practices
118 people took part in studies at care homes, pharmacies, hospices, schools and dentists
969 participants took part in studies managed by South Central Ambulance Service, which covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire
The data represent clinical research studies supported by the NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN), which counts the number of participants recruited into studies it supported between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026. The data do not include participants recruited into studies across other parts of the NIHR, such as NIHR Biomedical Research Centres and Clinical Research Facilities.
Studies can take place in hospitals, the community and the home, and be as simple as answering a questionnaire about a health condition. People without a condition that is being studied can often also take part so that results can be compared to those with the condition.
The NIHR Research Delivery Network provides support to organisations that deliver research studies, including funding for NHS research staff and helping research teams grow.
