Trust one of the best for trials

The trust came sixth in a league table published by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN), which also showed 1,381 studies were carried out across the north west last year.

Michelle Stephens, head of research and development for the trust, said: “We are highly research active and we know the quality of care is higher than in organisations that are not actively conducting research trials.

“Over the years, we have developed more research in the trust and strive to open new studies every year across all of our clinical specialisms. By offering research we are at the forefront of learning new techniques and treatments which will be offered to future patients.

“We would like to thank all of our patients – more than 12,500 since 2008 – who have joined one of our many studies.”

A total of 605,000 people across England participated in research last year, and are held to help doctors understand how to treat a particular disease or condition.

Some offer payment, which range from hundreds to thousands of pounds, but can be time-consuming and have side effects.