Clinical trials in primary care · London
Tomorrow's medicine,
closer to home.
Clinical trials run from general practice, so taking part happens closer to home.
- Ten GP practices in a diverse inner-London population identify people who may suit a study. Two easy-to-reach research centres run the visits.
- Participants join through a practice they already know.
- Sponsors learn fast whether suitable patients exist and whether the site fits.
- The practices hold the records. Hurley Research sees anonymised counts until someone chooses to get in touch.
Invited to a study, or interested in one?
What taking part involves, who you will see, and how your information is protected. Taking part is always your choice.
Read moreFast, verified feasibility. Two sites to qualify.
A quick answer on whether suitable patients exist, delivery from two GCP research centres, and one contract for the whole network.
See our data and sitesWant to join our network?
How practices take part in research with us, what it asks of you, and what your patients get. Your records stay yours.
Find out howHow we work
Safe. Responsive. Ethical.
Three commitments that hold for a patient reading a letter from their practice and for a sponsor reading a feasibility return. They were written by the people who run the studies.
Safe
Patient safety and consent come before any recruitment target. Every clinical decision is made by a clinician, never by a deadline.
Responsive
Feasibility data in days. Sponsor queries answered within two working days. Patients get a reply from someone who knows their practice.
Ethical
Every study we take on is judged first on what it offers the people taking part. We tell sponsors and patients the truth, including when something has gone wrong.
Why primary care
Most people are already known to a GP practice. That is where research should start.
Commercial trials have always defaulted to hospital outpatient departments. Hurley Research was built to show that a GP-led model can match that standard on quality and improve on it for reach, speed and convenience.
The practices already know their patients
Each practice holds a whole registered list with decades of coded records. Eligible people are identified through everyday care, so screening is continuous rather than a one-off campaign. Hurley Research works with the practices under a data sharing agreement, and any sharing of a patient's information happens only with that patient's direct consent.
Designed around the participant
Visits happen at one of two research centres on major transport routes, with the same team each time. The model is built around the things that make a study easy to stay in: a short journey, familiar faces and a practice that already knows you.
A population that looks like London
More than half of our registered patients are from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic backgrounds, with every age band represented. Trials run here produce evidence that reflects the people who will use the treatment.
Led by experience
Our lead investigators have run over 100 clinical trials between them. Hurley Research is built with the Hurley Group, a GP partnership that has served London since 1969, as a separate organisation with its own governance.
Get in touch
Three ways to reach us, so the right team reads your message
Participant enquiries stay with the participant team. Sponsor, CRO and practice enquiries go to the research office. Pick the one that matches you, or call us on 020 8138 3140.
I have been invited, or would like to take part in research
A short form, about two minutes. The participant team will telephone you. No medical details are needed. Find out more about taking part
Register my interestI have a question about my study
For people already taking part in a study. Opens your email app with a message to the participant team, or call 020 8138 3140. Please do not include medical details in a first email; we will arrange a call. More for participants
Email the participant teamFeasibility, studies and joining the network
Opens your email app with a message to the research office, or call 020 8138 3140. Written response within two working days.
Email the research officeFor participants
Research through the practice you know.
If your practice has contacted you about a study, or you would like to take part in research, this page explains what it involves and what you can expect from us. Nothing here commits you to anything.
What you can expect
Still your practice, with more to offer.
Your choice, always
Taking part is voluntary. You can ask as many questions as you like, take time to decide, and say no. If you join a study you can leave at any point without giving a reason, and your usual care carries on exactly as before.
Set up by the people behind your practice
Hurley Research was set up and is run by the Hurley Group, the partnership behind your GP practice. It is a separate organisation with its own responsibilities for your information, which is why it has its own privacy notice. You will meet research nurses and doctors who work alongside your practice, and your GP is kept informed if you take part.
Your information stays confidential
Your GP record stays with your practice. Hurley Research only asks your practice for medical information once you have given explicit consent, and only the minimum a study needs. Nothing that identifies you goes to a study sponsor without your consent. The detail is in our privacy notice.
Your safety comes first
A doctor or research nurse checks that a study is suitable for you before you join, and keeps checking while you take part. If anything is unclear or does not feel right, you tell us and we stop.
How it works
From a message to a first visit
Your practice gets in touch
You may receive a text or letter from your practice about a study you might be suitable for. Every message is approved by the practice first.
You decide whether to find out more
Reply if you are interested. If you do nothing, nothing happens.
We explain the study properly
A research nurse or doctor talks you through what the study involves, in plain English, and answers your questions.
You join, if you want to
Consent is written down and you keep a copy. Visits take place at one of our two research centres, with the same team each time.
You stay in control
You can stop at any time. Your GP and your usual care are unaffected either way.
Questions people ask
Straight answers
Do I have to take part?
No. Research is always optional. Saying no has no effect on your care at the practice, now or in the future.
Where do the visits happen?
At one of our two research centres: Riverside Medical Centre in Vauxhall (SW8) or Wood Wharf Health Centre next to Canary Wharf (E14). Both are on major tube and rail routes. Your practice will tell you which one applies to the study you are considering.
Will my GP know?
Yes. The research team and your practice are part of the same organisation, and your GP is told if you join a study so that your care stays joined up.
What happens to my information?
Your practice holds your GP record, and it stays there. If you respond to an invitation, you give Hurley Research your contact details directly so we can tell you more. We only obtain medical information from your GP with your explicit consent. Study sponsors receive study data with your name and details removed. Our information governance is overseen by a Data Protection Officer, and the full Hurley Research privacy notice is on this page.
Can I ask to be considered for future studies?
Yes. Tell your practice, or register your interest, and we will let you know when a study you might be suitable for opens.
Privacy notice
How Hurley Research looks after your information
This notice covers how we handle your information when you respond to a research invitation, and how we use our website. It is written to be read by patients and members of the public. Version 1.0, approved by our Data Protection Officer on 27 August 2026.
Who we are
Hurley Research is the clinical research organisation affiliated with the Hurley Group. We run approved clinical trials and research studies from our sites in London. Our formal legal name is Ashworth Research Ltd, and we trade as Hurley Research. We are the data controller for the information described in this notice.
When you respond to a research invitation
You may receive an invitation, from your own GP practice, about a study we are running. If you choose to respond, you contact us directly and give us your details so we can tell you more and check whether the study is suitable for you. We only ask for what we need: usually your name, your preferred contact details, and enough information to check the study's eligibility criteria.
Our legal basis
We contact you about research you have expressed interest in, and deliver studies, on the basis of our legitimate interests in carrying out health research (UK GDPR Article 6(1)(f)) together with the scientific research provisions for health information (Article 9(2)(j), with the safeguards the law requires). This is the basis the Health Research Authority recommends for research organisations. Asking for your consent is how we respect your confidentiality and give you control. It is not the legal basis itself, which means that if you withdraw, we stop, but our earlier processing remains lawful. You can withdraw from contact at any time, and it will not affect your NHS care in any way.
What we do with your information
- Contact you about the study you responded to and check basic eligibility.
- Hold your information securely in our clinical system under strict access controls.
- Obtain medical information from your GP only with your explicit consent, and only the minimum needed for the study.
- Share information with a study sponsor or the Health Research Authority only where you have consented and as approved for that specific study. We do not sell your data, and we do not use it for advertising.
How we keep it safe and where it is held
Your information is held in the UK, encrypted, and accessible only to trained staff who need it for your study. We work to the NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit standard. If we ever need to move information outside the UK for a study, we will tell you and put the legal safeguards in place first.
How long we keep it
When you express an interest in a study, we create a record for you in our secure electronic health record system. That record is kept in line with the NHS records retention guidance that applies to medical records, whether or not you go on to take part. If you ask us not to contact you again, we note that on the same record and will not approach you about research. If you join a study, research records are kept for the period required by law and Good Clinical Practice for that study, and then securely destroyed.
Aggregate population statistics on our website
Our website shows overall statistics about the Hurley Group patient population, for example how many patients have a particular condition. These figures are anonymised and aggregated: they are only totals and cannot identify any individual. We never publish any count of 7 or fewer patients, we apply the National Data Opt-out, and the figures are drawn from data shared with us by the Hurley Group under a data sharing agreement. No individual patient record is used to build these statistics.
Website visitors
When you visit our website we use only the cookies necessary to make it work; we do not use advertising or non-essential tracking cookies without your consent.
Your rights and how to contact us
You have the right to access your information, to have it corrected, to withdraw from contact, and, in most cases, to object to or restrict our use of it; erasure may be limited where research law and sponsor obligations require records to be kept, and we will explain this. To exercise any right, or to ask a question, contact our Data Protection Officer, Radha Muthuswamy, at r.muthuswamy@nhs.net, or write to us at Hurley Research, Riverside Medical Centre, Hobart House, St George Wharf, London SW8 2JB. If you are unhappy with how we handle your information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
Get in touch
Ask at your practice, or contact the participant team
The simplest route is to mention research at your next appointment or message your practice. Otherwise, pick the option that matches you. Both go to the participant team, never to sponsors. You can also call us on 020 8138 3140.
I have been invited, or would like to take part in research
A short form, about two minutes. The participant team will telephone you. No medical details are needed. Find out more about taking part
Register my interestI have a question about my study
For people already taking part in a study. Opens your email app with a message to the participant team, or call 020 8138 3140. Please do not include medical details in a first email; we will arrange a call.
Email the participant teamIf you are contacting us on behalf of a sponsor, CRO or GP practice, please use the research office instead.
Register your interest
Interested in a study? Register in two minutes.
A short form asks for your name, date of birth, contact details, GP practice, your NHS number if you know it, and which study you are interested in (or "not sure"). The participant team then telephones you to talk it through. No medical details are needed or wanted at this stage, and nothing happens without your agreement.
For sponsors and CROs
Fast, verified feasibility.
Two sites to qualify.
Hurley Research is a dedicated clinical trials organisation set up by the Hurley Group, a separate London GP partnership of ten practices and more than 123,000 registered patients. Under a data sharing agreement, the practices' records are searched against your criteria and Hurley Research receives anonymised counts. Within days you know whether suitable patients exist and whether this is a site worth opening. Delivery happens at two GCP research centres under one contract, one ISF and one CDA. You monitor two sites and recruit through the whole network.
What you can count on
Accurate feasibility. Recruitment to time and target. Data you do not have to police.
Feasibility you can plan a budget on
Counts come from a nested search of the live electronic health record across all ten practices, criterion by criterion, so you see the drop-off at every stage. The search runs under the Hurley Group's control and reaches us as anonymised aggregates; no record is viewed and no patient is contacted at this stage. Refined, stratum-level counts under CDA within five working days.
Continuous pre-screening
The ten practices act as Patient Identification Centres. Their clinicians identify eligible patients through everyday care and, with the practice's approval, invite them to contact Hurley Research. Recruitment does not depend on advertising or a single campaign.
Clean data, low query burden
GCP-trained research nurses run every visit and enter data at the two research centres. Protocol adherence, audit-ready files, and a platform-agnostic approach to EDC.
One contact, two working days
A single point of contact for the whole network, and a written response to any query within two working days. Contracting and start-up decisions are made by the people you are talking to.
View our demographic data
A registered population of 123,257, coded and searchable
Aggregated from the live electronic health records of all ten of the Hurley Group's practices and shared with Hurley Research as anonymised counts under a data sharing agreement. Every figure is a total; any count of 7 or fewer patients is suppressed. The data deep dive covers age, sex, ethnicity, all 21 disease registers, per-practice distribution, vaccine programme fit, the immunosuppressed cohort and deep dives on diabetes, heart failure, CKD and NAFLD.
Registered patients across 10 practices (May 2026)
From Black, Asian and other minority ethnic backgrounds, against about 41% for inner London
Patients on one or more of 21 coded disease registers
Aged 50 and over, including 8,665 aged 65+ and 3,034 aged 75+
Clinically coded immunosuppressed patients, identified from prescribing and clinical records
Distinct ethnic groups recorded, consolidated to ONS-aligned groups for reporting
The data deep dive is password protected. Sponsors and CROs can ask the research office for access.
Data: live EHR disease registers, 15 May 2026. All data anonymised and aggregated. Processed under UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Caldicott Principles; National Data Opt-Out honoured. Counts of 7 or fewer patients are reported as "less than 8", with dependent totals and percentages suppressed, per OpenSAFELY statistical disclosure control guidance.
Delivery
Two research centres. Ten identification centres. One contract.
Full GCP research infrastructure is concentrated at two dedicated sites: research nurses, clinical rooms, phlebotomy, IMP storage and dispensing, and a principal investigator with dedicated research sessions. The 10 practices pre-screen against your criteria and refer in.
Riverside Medical Centre · SW8
Hobart House, St George Wharf, Vauxhall. Vauxhall station (Victoria line, National Rail) and Nine Elms (Northern line) within a short walk; river bus at Vauxhall pier.
Wood Wharf Health Centre · E14
75 Harbord Square, next to Canary Wharf. Jubilee and Elizabeth lines about 8 minutes on foot, Blackwall DLR, Thames Clipper. Heathrow direct in about 39 minutes on the Elizabeth line.
| Capability | Status | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| EHR eligibility search and rolling recall | Live | Nested searches re-run to capture newly eligible patients through the study |
| GCP-trained research nurses | In-house | Consent, visits, dosing supervision and EDC entry at both centres |
| IMP storage and dispensing | On-site | At both research centres |
| eConsent | Available | Digital consent integrated with practice systems |
| EDC | Platform agnostic | Medidata Rave, Veeva Vault, REDCap and others |
| ICH-GCP E6(R3) | Current | Research staff certified to the current revision |
How we work with you
From first contact to first patient in
Feasibility
Send the protocol synopsis. We return a verified, criterion-by-criterion count from the live record.
Refined query under CDA
Stratum-level counts within five working days.
Site qualification
SQV at the two research centres only. One ISF and one regulatory package for the whole network.
Recall, screen, consent
Practice-endorsed invitations, eConsent, and study-specific screening.
Deliver
Nurses run every visit at the two centres, close to where participants live, with the same team each time.
Next step
Send us a protocol synopsis
We will return a verified feasibility count and, under CDA, refined stratum-level figures within five working days. The button opens your email app with a message to the research office, which handles enquiries from sponsors, CROs and other organisations.
This mailbox is not monitored for participant enquiries. Participants and people interested in taking part should use the participant team.
For GP practices and PCNs
Want to join our network?
Hurley Research brings commercial clinical trials to GP patients without the practice having to build a research team of its own. We already work with the Hurley Group's ten practices. If you are a practice or a PCN in London and you want your patients to have access to research, we would like to hear from you.
What it involves
Your patients, your records, your say on every study.
Practices join as Patient Identification Centres. The research visits happen at our two research centres. The practice's part is the search and the invitation, and we help with both.
Your records stay yours
You remain the data controller. Eligibility searches run under a data sharing agreement and a published privacy notice. Only anonymised counts leave the practice until a patient chooses to respond.
You approve every study and every message
Nothing goes out without the practice's agreement. Invitations are sent in your practice's name, using wording approved by an ethics committee for that study, and patients who respond contact Hurley Research directly.
No research clinic to run
Screening, consent, dosing and follow-up all happen at Riverside Medical Centre (SW8) or Wood Wharf Health Centre (E14), with GCP-trained research nurses and a principal investigator. Your clinical workload does not change.
Studies that fit your list
We come to you with studies that match your registered population, and you decide study by study. Saying no to one study has no bearing on the next.
What your patients get
Access to studies most GP patients are never offered, invited by a practice they trust, with visits close to home and the same team each time. Practices that take part also build up research activity of their own, which supports accreditation such as RCGP Research Ready and is evidence of a well-led practice.
How joining works
From a first conversation to your first study
Get in touch
Tell us your practice or PCN, your list size and roughly where you are. We reply within two working days.
We come and explain
A short meeting with your partners or PCN board on the model, the governance (data sharing agreement, DPIA, privacy notice) and what the practice actually does.
Agree the paperwork
Sign the data sharing agreement, add the research section to your practice privacy notice, and adopt the practice-facing procedures.
Your first study
We propose a study matched to your list. You approve the search and the invitation wording before anything runs.
Ongoing, study by study
A named contact at Hurley Research, regular updates on how your patients are doing in studies, and the choice to take part or not each time.
Get in touch
Bring research to your patients
Tell us your practice or PCN name, list size and a contact, and we will arrange a conversation. Practices, PCNs and federations are all welcome. The button opens your email app with a message to the research office.
Please do not forward participant enquiries here: participants should use the participant team.
About us
Born in general practice.
Built for research.
Hurley Research is a clinical trials organisation that runs commercial studies from general practice in London, with two research centres in Vauxhall and Canary Wharf. It was born out of the Hurley Group, an NHS GP partnership that began in Kennington and has delivered healthcare to its population since 1969. The Hurley Group now covers 125,000 patients across 12 sites in 7 London boroughs.
- We felt that clinical research was too far away and inaccessible to most of our patients.
- Inspired by our late partner Dr Mark Ashworth, a dedicated GP and academic researcher, we set up Ashworth Research Ltd to change that. It operates as Hurley Research.
- Our aim is to bring new medicines to more people, closer to home, in a safe, ethical and responsive way.
The team
GPs and research physicians, in the same building as the patients
Dr Ross Dyer-Smith
GP partner at the Hurley Group since 2016 and lead GP at the Staunton Group Practice. Caldicott Guardian and digital clinical safety officer for the Hurley Group. He built the eHub, the Hurley Group's centralised online consultation service, and leads the data, systems and safety work behind Hurley Research.
Dr Murray Ellender
GP partner at the Hurley Group and co-founder of Hurley Research. Co-founded and led eConsult, the online consultation platform that grew out of the Hurley Group and is now used across NHS general practice.
Dr Amardeep Heer
Co-founder, Director of Research and Principal Investigator at Hurley Research, and an Associate Partner at the Hurley Group. A GP with nearly two decades of experience leading commercial research in primary care, he has built research services in four organisations: Danetre Medical Practice, Lakeside Healthcare (Director of Research and Innovation, 2015 to 2026), MeDiNova Lakeside Research and, most recently, Hurley Research. He has been Principal Investigator on more than 80 Phase I to IV studies for sponsors including AstraZeneca, GSK, Moderna, Pfizer, MSD and Amgen, across respiratory, vaccines and infectious disease, cardiovascular and metabolic conditions, and pain, and has taken sites through three MHRA inspections and five sponsor audits. His teams were named CRN Research Team of the Year in 2013 and 2021. Alongside his medical degree from Leicester he holds an LLM in Medical Law, which grounds his research governance work.
Dr Rex Sarmiento
Clinical research physician with more than 20 years of experience delivering Phase I to IV trials to the highest standards of safety, data quality and regulatory compliance. He has led or supported more than 130 studies as Principal Investigator or Sub-Investigator, giving sponsors a dependable site partner who recruits well, meets timelines and produces inspection-ready data. His training combines a PGCert in Clinical Pharmacology from King's College London with an MSc in Clinical Trials from the University of Birmingham, so his practice reflects current methodology and Good Clinical Practice. Above all he is committed to participant welfare: clear communication, informed consent that people truly understand, and care that treats every volunteer as a partner in research.
Our research sites
Two research centres in London, close to the river and the tube
Study visits take place at one of two dedicated research centres. Your own GP practice stays involved and keeps your medical record; the ten Hurley Group practices identify people who may suit a study and tell you which centre applies.
Riverside Medical Centre, Vauxhall (SW8)
Hobart House, St George Wharf, London SW8 2JB. Vauxhall station (Victoria line and National Rail) and Nine Elms (Northern line) are a short walk away, and the river bus stops at Vauxhall pier.
Wood Wharf Health Centre, Canary Wharf (E14)
75 Harbord Square, Wood Wharf, London E14. Canary Wharf station (Jubilee and Elizabeth lines) is about eight minutes on foot, with Blackwall DLR and the Thames Clipper nearby. Heathrow is about 39 minutes direct on the Elizabeth line.
The Hurley Group
A separate organisation, built by the same people
Hurley Research is a separate company, set up and run by the Hurley Group. The practices remain the data controllers for their patients' records. Hurley Research works with them under a data sharing agreement, and any sharing of a patient's information happens only with that patient's direct consent.
The Hurley Clinic opens in Kennington
Sites across 7 London boroughs
Dedicated research centres, Vauxhall and Wood Wharf