Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has allocated to (a) public bodies and (b) agencies to run campaigns aimed at encouraging brain tumour patients to participate in clinical trials.

The Department awards funding to encourage participation of brain tumour patients in clinical trials through the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Department’s research delivery arm. Funding is awarded through open competition, and researchers are expected to include a robust plan for patient and public involvement as part of their application.

Between 2018/19 and 2022/2, the NIHR has invested £11.3 million directly in brain tumour research, as well as investing £31.5 million in research infrastructure, including facilities, services, and the research workforce, allowing research funding to be leveraged from other donors and organisations. This funding has allowed 227 brain cancer research studies to be carried out and enabled 8,500 people to participate in potentially life-changing research into brain cancer within the National Health Service.

In addition, the NIHR provides an online service called Be Part of Research which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest. This makes it easier for people to find and take part in health and care research that is relevant to them, such as brain cancer.

In September 2024, the NIHR announced a new approach to transform the outcomes for patients who are living with brain tumours and their families, ultimately reducing the lives lost to cancer, with a new national Brain Tumour Research Consortium, a new research funding call, and a new Tessa Jowell Allied Health Professional research fellowship.