Impact of electronic patient records (EPRs) on hospitals within the NHS

The Health Foundation is conducting a project to understand the impact of electronic patient records (EPRs) on hospitals within the NHS.

“We would like to invite you to a one-hour phone call to discuss your views and experiences with EPRs.

In particular, we are interested in:

• How EPRs affect the accuracy and completeness of information in your medical record
• Whether EPRs influence how quickly you are seen or receive treatment

We are hoping to speak to people who have had a hospital appointment within the last 3 months in a hospital that uses electronic patient records.

We would like to speak to individuals in January 2026.

If you would like to participate or learn more, please email Sarah Opie-Martin: sarah.opie-martin@health.org.uk

People from Black African Diaspora communities are currently not well represented in health and social care research. Find out about a project led by Warwick Medical School to better understand the needs of these communities and to make health and social care research more inclusive.

Find out more about this work: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/med/research/hscience/apc/qualityandsafety/acheritageresearch/

Public Involvement Opportunity - TRExt

This opportunity is for people who are...

• Aged 18 years or over;
• Interested in public involvement and engagement specifically with lived experience in the uses of information gathered from personal records.
• Living in the UK.

TRExt is a system to help computers understand messy text (like doctor’s notes) safely, so researchers can learn from it without risking privacy.

In this study (a collaboration between University of Nottingham, Swansea University, Kings College London and Hyper Unison), we aim to collect the views and experiences of members of the public on the software and AI we are using in the TRExt project, so we can address any concerns and improve the automatic processing of sensitive information.

This study is a collaboration between University of Nottingham, Swansea University, Kings College London and Hyper Unison.

What is the opportunity?

We’re putting people at the heart of the TRExt project. Our goal is to work with the public, researchers, clinicians, and technical experts to create tools that are useful, safe, and trustworthy. By joining our PIE workshop, you’ll play a vital role in shaping the project—helping guide decisions, identify potential risks, and ensure the benefits are clear and meaningful. Your input will influence how we accelerate research while protecting privacy and using AI responsibly. This is your chance to make a real impact on the future of health data research and ensure it reflects the needs and values of the people it serves.

When and where

You will be expected to attend up to three online meetings before the end of April, where you’ll discuss, comment, and give feedback on the project presented by the TRExt research team. Meetings will take place once a month between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm, including a comfort break.

The first meeting is scheduled for 30th January, with further dates in February and March arranged based on the group’s joint availability.

All workshops will be conducted in English; it is essential you are able to understand and give feedback verbally or written in English.

Renumeration

£25 per hour for your time and contribution for each meeting attended.

How to apply

Please follow the link button below to complete and submit your application form by midday on Friday 16th January 2026:

https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=LrXKu76f1kOi859mxD3yaOqFRVa96idFoih8vhm0jw9UQzJZVzRLVUVVNk9XNVk4TTZTMTBaUVBLUy4u&route=shorturl

If you have any queries, please contact claire.newman@swansea.ac.uk

RHITE is a public register for individuals interested in taking part in brain injury research. By joining RHITE, you can play an active role in medical research and improve health outcomes.

RHITE has been supported by the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Brain Injury in partnership with Orion MedTech, a not-for-profit Community Interest Company.

Since the launch of the new NIHR HRC in Brain Injury, RHITE has been updated. Through the new Orion HealthHub you will have more control over your registration preferences and can amend your registered details.

The NIHR HealthTech Research Centres have replaced the MedTech and In Vitro Diagnostics Co-operatives (MICs), which came to an end on 31 March 2024.

Register your interest

By signing up to RHITE using the form below, you are helping researchers and innovators to understand more about neurological health and care conditions.

Sign up form: https://orion.net/rhite

*This information is from inFORMed, a project based in Australia, so not all information will be 100% applicable to a UK audience. But, the work comes highly recommended.*

Full details about the project can be found on the inFORMed website: https://www.informedpicf.com.au/

Simplifying Participant Information and Consent Forms

Deciding whether to participate in research should be supported by information that is clear, simple and easy to navigate. Yet current Participant Information and Consent Forms (PICFs) are often the opposite: long, complex, and difficult to understand. The CT:IQ InFORMed Project is developing templates and guidance to assist in the creation of more participant-centric PICFs.

CT:IQ (Clinical Trials: Impact & Quality) is a collaborative group of stakeholders with the aim of improving the impact and quality of clinical trials in Australia. CT:IQ comprises more than 50 member organisations and individuals who come together to pursue projects that will promote efficient, effective, and participant-centred, clinical trials.

CT:IQ and the project team are proud to release the InFORMed template and user guide for use by the Australian health and medical research sector.

The InFORMed Project template has been developed to support a participant-centred, simplified, national PICF. Our aim is to improve the efficiency and impact of health and medical research in Australia by making it easier for consumers to make decisions about participation.

The template and user guide have been through a robust development process, including consumer consultation and beta-testing. They are suitable for use across a wide range of Australian health and medical research projects.

DOWNLOAD InFORMed Project Template and User Guide

Here are examples of how the template has been used in the context of different research projects - for a clinical drug trial and for a low-risk social science study. Please note, these are examples only and should not be used for IMPEDE-PKD or Beyond the Form study purposes.

Is my project research?

One of the first steps in deciding which approvals you need for your project is to determine whether it is classed as research, and therefore whether it should be managed as such. The responsibility for determining whether a project is classed as research lies with the managing organisation. For studies that are determined to be research, the managing organisation would then accept the role of sponsor.

To assist organisations in determining whether a project is research, we have provided this decision tool. So long as the information you enter is correct, the outcome of the decision tool can be taken as authoritative, and you do not need to seek further confirmation.

Where a project will not be managed as research there is no need to apply for HRA Approval or to an NHS REC. However, you should contact the clinical governance or research and development (R&D) office of the organisation at which the project will be conducted to discuss what other local review arrangements or sources of advice may apply. For example, there may be standard guidelines on the conduct of clinical audit. The Caldicott Guardian will be a source of advice on the use of patient data.

For both research and non-research, if your project will involve the use of patient data without consent you may still need a recommendation from the Confidentiality Advisory Group (CAG).

My project is categorised as research

If your research project is:

• a Clinical Trial of an Investigational Medicinal Product (CTIMP) (with the exception of Phase 1 trials in healthy volunteers taking place outside the NHS)
• a Clinical Investigation or other study of a Medical Device
• a combined trial of an Investigational Medicinal Product and an Investigational Medical Device
• a Clinical Trial to study a novel intervention or randomised Clinical Trial to compare interventions in clinical practice
• a basic science study involving procedures with human participants
• a study administering questionnaires/interviews for quantitative analysis, or using mixed qualitative/quantitative methodology
• a study involving qualitative methods only
• a study limited to working with human tissue samples (or other human biological samples) and data (specific project only)
• a study limited to working with data (specific project only).

Then you will need to apply for HRA Approval

If your project does not fall into the categories above but is:

• a Research Tissue Bank;
• a Research Database; or
• taking place in a non-NHS setting (a Phase 1 clinical trial in health volunteers, for example)

Then you will not need HRA Approval but may still need approval from a Research Ethics Committee.

If your research project involves accessing confidential patient information without consent in England and Wales, you will need to apply to the Confidentiality Advisory Group (CAG).

If your study will involve ionising radiation research exposures you may be eligible to apply for Radiation Assurance, which is currently going through a phased roll-out.

If your research project is a CTIMP then you may be eligible to apply for Pharmacy Assurance, which is currently going through a phased roll-out.

For student studies undertaken primarily for the purpose of obtaining an educational qualification there is additional information available here.

If you are still unsure about what approvals and decisions you need from the HRA, please email the HRA queries line.

Singing For Menopause

Evaluating the Impact of Participation in Group Singing on Menopausal Symptoms: A 12-session Comparative Study

Menopause represents a critical life stage for women, often accompanied by a range of physical, emotional and psychosocial challenges such as hot flushes, anxiety, mood swings, and a sense of loss. These changes can negatively impact quality of life and social participation. NICE guidelines recommend HRT, CBT and physical activity to treat symptoms of menopause. Many women are seeking knowledge and empowerment, and to find alternative options to manage their own symptoms.

Creative and community-based interventions, like group singing, have shown potential for improving mental health and fostering social connection. Group singing has demonstrated benefits in reducing anxiety, enhancing mood, and improving overall well-being in dementia, and mental health. However, its feasibility and efficacy as a therapeutic intervention for menopause remains underexplored.

Here’s where you come in…

Hopefully, the line about seeking knowledge and empowerment, and finding alternative options to manage symptoms resonated with you? Community Pop Chorus are working in partnership with University of Essex, and we want to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured, 12 x 90-minute session, group-singing based intervention on reducing menopausal symptoms. We need women like you to help test this new programme. This is research, so naturally it will involve some questions… here are a few for starters:

1. Would you like to explore topics relevant to your menopause symptoms like stress and anxiety, regulating emotions, self-confidence, brain fog, and more?
2. Would it be helpful to find some new ways of managing your symptoms that don’t involve wearing lycra, meditating, or seeing a therapist?
3. Could you benefit from coming together with other, like-minded women, in a supportive, friendly, and genuinely safe space to share your experiences?
4. And would you like to do it all, whilst singing songs you know and love, the ones that have soundtracked your life?
5. Would it be good to be part of the process of shaping and refining this new programme, to make it as helpful as possible to other women?

If you find yourself nodding, then it’s you we need! Even if you’re a bit iffy about number 4, don’t worry, you definitely do not need to be a ‘singer’ to do this – whether you’re the person who mimes the hymns at weddings, or you have your own home-karaoke, there’s a place for you in this group. From Bridget Jones singing at the top of her voice eating ice-cream, to the mousey silent girl in Pitch Perfect, we’ve got you. For our research to be credible, we need absolute transparency and a level playing field, so there are a few criteria we need participants to meet, in order to take part.

Participants – 45 women, aged 40-60, currently reporting moderate to severe menopausal symptoms. Criteria for participation:

• Must be prepared to complete baseline assessment (Initial survey, etc)
• Must sign consent form
• Must NOT have a diagnosed cognitive disorder
• Must NOT be currently using medication for mood or sleep (or have recently stopped using such medication)
• *Must be able to attend the 12 in-person sessions, held in Suffolk – within 10 miles of Ipswich, between January and April 2026 (*if part of the Intervention group)

The 45 participants will be split into 3 groups of 15.

1. Control group – no intervention, usual practice (members of existing choirs) – will submit survey and data about symptoms.
2. Intervention group – Participants in the 12-session structured programme
3. Comparison group – NOT participants in any singing groups – will submit survey and data about symptoms.

The in-person sessions start in January 2026, and take place on the following dates (all Saturday mornings, 9.30-11am):

We will ask for a nominal £5 per person, per 90-minute session towards costs (but don’t let finances be an obstacle to your participation, we will endeavour to support those unable to contribute financially).

If you’re still reading, and still interested, please email Yula from Community Pop Chorus at sing@popchorus.co.uk to reserve your place in this first cohort of participants on the in-person programme.

Help shape a future falls prevention study: NIHR HealthTech Research Centre (Brain Injury)

We are inviting older adults and/or their family members or carers to take part in a 1-bour online discussion group. Your views will help us design a future clinical trial focused on preventing falls in older people.

What the study is about

Many older people fall and have to attend the emergency department to receive treatment for their injuries. We know that balance exercises can help older people become stronger and steadier and less likely to fall.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge are trying to understand if we could teach these exercises to people who come to the emergency department to prevent them from falling again.

Who we're looking for

1. Older people who think they may be at risk of falling, or who have had a fall - perhaps even experience of having to come to the emergency department

2. Family members, friends or carers of older people who may be affected.

What taking part involves

• Join a 1-hour online focus group on Wednesday, 21st Jan 2026 at 1.30pm.

• Share your opinions on:

o Who should be included in the future trial

o What exercise would be acceptable and what would help you stick to it

o What outcomes matter most ( e.g. falls needing hospital care, quality of life)

o How trial information should be shared (e.g. written leaflets, videos).

• Participants will receive £30 for taking part.

How to express interest

Email James Piercy: james@brainhrc.org