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The Volunteer Experience

What's involved in being a clinical study volunteer, and what happens to you when you're on a study?

A clinical trial is a process used to test new and existing medications to help 
develop new treatments. At Fortrea, we set out to answer questions like how a drug is absorbed into the body, how a drug reacts to other medications and how the drug is affected by food.

Our volunteers' safety is of paramount importance.

We have a dedicated team of medical professionals, including Doctors and Nurses, who are here to monitor your safety at all times. You'll also be reassured to know that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) and National Research Ethics Committee (NRES) review each clinical trial to ensure all the right safeguards are in place.

Almost all of our studies involve a residential stay and one or more follow-up appointments. A residential stay can be anything from a day to a month long depending on the study you select. While you're a resident, you will have to stay on the clinic site at all times, but you will be provided with 3 nutritious meals per day and will have access to our recreation room with games and Sky TV, Sports and Movies. Take a virtual tour of our clinic.

Of course, we will need to perform some tests to see how the drug is working while you're on a study. The typical procedures we do are blood and urine tests, heart and blood-pressure monitoring - much like you'd experience if you were registering with a new GP.

People who are thinking about volunteering are often concerned about side effects of the study drug. While this is natural, be reassured that you will always be made aware of any possible known side effects before your study begins.  At the start of the study we build up the dose of any medicine slowly so that we can monitor and manage any potential side effects in a controlled way.

It is very important to remember all the way through a study that you are a volunteer, and it is always okay to stop your participation. If you change your mind after you've applied, at the screening session or even during the clinical trial you are free to withdraw at any time.

Find out how you can help

Sign up for a paid clinical study today.