A new medical research network is being set up by the NHS involving members of the public in east London’s diverse population to take part in clinical research.

Up to a million people could join the trials over the next few years to help improve treatments, following research during the Covid emergency.

Leading doctors in the North East London Integrated Care system have been given £100,000 in NHS funding to develop a research engagement network to improve medical studies with more volunteers.

The network aims to raise public participation in east London to make sure the research reflects the diversity of its communities and “help tackle healthcare inequalities”.

Spearheading the new network is Tower Hamlets GP Victoria Tzortziou Brown.

“Our ambition is to increase the numbers and diversity of people taking part in research,” she said.

“This will make sure it represents our diverse populations and that our communities are more actively involved in shaping the future of health care in east London.”

Research was spurred during the pandemic when mass inoculation was finally reaching normally-isolated ethnic and other communities.

“There was increased participation in research during the Covid-19 emergency,” Dr Tzortziou Brown revealed.

“We were testing different approaches to prevention and treatment. This demonstrated what is possible when studies are relevant to the public.”

Dr Tzortziou Brown believes any future research agenda “should be set by those it will impact to addresses the real needs of patients”.

The ambitious long-term plan is to increase the numbers to one million people taking part in research to register their interest by 2024.

Developing the research engagement network is the brainchild of North East London’s Integrated Care Board working with the Social Enterprise Alliance.

The partnership brings together NHS bodies, local authorities and voluntary organisations covering a population of two million in the east London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Newham, Redbridge, Waltham Forest, Barking and Dagenham, Havering and the City of London, to shape services around people’s needs.