The Research department at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital are celebrating after exceeding their target for recruiting patients to take part in their studies by 36 per cent last year.

The Orthopaedic is one of 27 Trusts in the region which work with the Clinical Research Network West Midlands (CRN WM). New figures published by CRN WM show that 70,720 people took part in clinical research in the region in 2017/18 – the most ever in a single year.

Those figures include 817 participants from The Orthopaedic Hospital – beating a target of 599.

Debra Alexander, a participant in a pain study at the hospital, said: “I would definitely take part in any future trials as it is good to have the opportunity to give something back, and the only thing it costs is a little of your time.

“The outcomes are very important for improving future treatments and benefitting patient welfare.”

Teresa Jones, research manager at The Orthopaedic, said: “This is fantastic news for the region as a whole and I’m delighted that The Orthopaedic has not only contributed to this mammoth figure but that we’ve also exceeded our own target.

“I’d like to thank all staff members who have been involved in our research studies. Being an active research organisation means we are working towards trying to find better treatments and outcomes for our patients.”

Professor Jeremy Kirk, network clinical director, said: ‘Our grateful thanks go to every single person who participates in clinical research, or supports someone who does. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to find new and better treatments for patients in the future. It is also a fantastic reflection of the hard work and enthusiasm of our dedicated staff and researchers in the region.

He added: “I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate the team at The Orthopaedic for surpassing their own target, which in turn has contributed to our record-breaking number.”

There are currently more than 1,400 different studies taking place in the West Midlands across 30 health specialties.