Research at Dorset County Hospital

Dorset County Hospital is proud to be a research-active hospital. Our Research Department runs ethically approved, innovative clinical trials that aim to improve patient care and lead to the discovery and development of new treatments, technologies, and practices in healthcare.

Continue reading to find out more about the importance of clinical research, our trials, and how you can be involved in research.

Our Research Department, located within the hospital, has been running clinical trials, across many disease areas, since 2001. Our department consists of 25 to 30 dedicated healthcare professionals, including research nurses, pharmacists, doctors, and project managers, who ensure comfortable, supportive and safe research experiences for our patients.

Patients may be approached to take part in a research project if they are eligible. Some research projects are simpler and shorter than others and may consist of one visit, an extra blood test, or a questionnaire. Other projects may be longer term and could involve taking a new medication or trialling a new medical device. However small, all our research projects give us new knowledge and are integral to improving patient care and discovering new tests and treatments for patients with different health conditions.

Participation in research is always 100% voluntary. Patients can decline involvement and withdraw part way through a study without their medical care being affected. Our Research Department is part of the Wessex Clinical Research Network with some of our research projects being run in one of Wessex Research Hubs. Our local research hub is located in the Linden Unit in Weymouth. The Weymouth Research Hub offers people in Weymouth, Portland, and the whole of the west of Dorset to get involved in health research. We currently run cardiovascular and vaccine trials here, leading the way towards new treatments and protection against infectious diseases. Find out more on our Weymouth Research Hub webpage.

What is research?

Clinical Research is crucial to discovery and development of new drugs, technologies and practices in healthcare, the NHS, and the world.

What do we do?

We deliver a wide range of ethically approved clinical trials investigating new treatments, diagnostic tests, and medical technologies. Our commercial and non-commercial research projects are funded by external organisations including the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the life science industry. We also host observational studies where we collect data on our own performance in different specialties to ensure we are delivering the best care possible with the best outcomes for our patients.

We run research projects across the following areas:

Cancer
Cardiology
Critical Care
Infectious Disease
Renal
Stroke
Surgery

How can I get involved?

If you are a patient or a staff member, you can sign up to Be Part of Research or you can contact us directly using the details below. As a patient, you can also opt into data sharing (via the NHS app) which gives us permission to contact you if you are eligible for a study.