To begin with, here’s more on that Pfizer story about use of mobile phone technology etc in clinical trials. It seems to have piqued an interest among many of you anyway.

Also on the subject of clinical trials, I was rather perplexed by this story running out of the NHS Confederation this morning. I’m delighted that the NHS Confederation are at last exercising their PR might in the name of research – it must have something to do with Mike Farrer’s move there as CEO. As you may know, he was previously the chief executive at the North West Strategic Health Authority which led the hallowed ‘NW Exemplar work on clinical trials.‘

The overall message of the piece about regulation standing in the way of clinical trials is also good. But I am sure the data/evidence they have put forward to support it, passed its sell-by-date a long time ago. If you look at the latest metrics for trials put out by the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) Co-ordinating Centre, one gets an alternative and more up-to-date picture of an improving situation.

Much work is still to be done though.

The really striking bit in yesterday’s MORI survey by the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) was that showing the degree to which patients would be willing to assist in research by participating in trials (72%) or letting researchers access their confidential records (80%). But you have to scroll down the page to see these results.

A bit like we expect patients to ask their GPs to do if they want to turn their willingness to take part in research into action. I am sure I saw an academic paper a few weeks ago which heralded the 39% or equivalent GP practices that were active in recruiting patients for trials in Eastern England. All I could think of was…what about those people living in the catchment areas of the other 61%. Perhaps their GPs still use scrolls instead of prescriptions.

So grist to our mill in making sure the Health and Social Care Bill supports the things that are already being done by NIHR and others to change this.