At SPCR the safety and well-being of our patients is paramount. We have been in close consultation with our sponsors throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, and we will continue to operate at our Barbican site during the second lockdown to ensure continuity of medical care for our patients who are already on clinical trials or those who are in the process of enrolling.

Our work involves close contact with often vulnerable patients, so we have implemented a comprehensive series of health screening and infection control measures and policies to protect patients, as well as visitors (including trial monitors) and staff members.

To ensure best practice, we follow the latest guidance and risk assessments issued by the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and the Health Research Authority (HRA), together with UK Government guidelines on infection control.

We have been advised on our policies and practices by Prof A Tucker (Lead Clinical Scientist and Infection Control Lead at Barts Health NHS Trust), and constantly monitor the situation whilst continuing to tighten and adapt our procedures accordingly.

The global pharmaceutical industry has acted rapidly, decisively and in collaboration to gain a much deeper understanding of the virus and its impact. Meanwhile, we continue to work with sponsors and government bodies to ensure the continuation of our trial activities which were postponed or cancelled during the early stages of the pandemic.

Please see the links below to guidance notes for Patients, Visitors and Monitors to learn more about how we have adapted our clinical operations during the Covid-19 period.