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Recruitment

Why have I been invited to take part in an OVG study?

Many of our clinical studies need healthy volunteers to take part. We publicise studies across Oxfordshire and near-by areas to try to find volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds, ethnicities and mix of genders. This is so that people in our studies are similar to the general population.

We use a number of different ways to contact anyone who may be interested in our studies, including using

  • the Electoral Register (sometimes called the Electoral Roll)
  • data from NHS patient databases (see below)
  • mailing lists or registries related to the study topic that people have chosen to sign up to. (see below)

Whichever way we contact you, taking part is always voluntary. This means you do not have to take part in any study, you do not have to give a reason why you don’t want to, and you do not even need to tell us that you don’t want to take part. If we do not hear from you, we will assume that you do not want to take part in the study. You are always welcome to contact us by email (info@ovg.ox.ac.uk) or telephone (01865 611400) to tell us if you wish, or to provide feedback.

NHS Databases

(NHS England is currently being integrated into the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the following information relates to both as appropriate).

NHS England holds information from the records that health and social care providers in England keep about the care and treatment they give. The data they hold can be used to plan and improve health.

We ask NHS England to run an electronic search to find people who may be suitable for specific studies. NHS England then arrange for an invitation to be sent to those people on our behalf by an external mailing company. This means that we never know who has been invited in this way unless they choose to take part in the study.

These electronic searches and mailouts do not involve NHS resources or money.

If any of your personal details on any invitation you receive are wrong, please get in touch with your GP surgery who look after that data. We have no access to the data and so cannot correct it for you.
 
You can choose not to allow the NHS to use your data in this way. The "National Data Opt Out" is used to remove any people from the invitation list who have chosen not to be contacted in this way, before the invitations are sent out. If you do not want the NHS to use your health records for the purposes of supporting any health related research in the future, please visit: 

https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/manage-your-choice

to make your choice. You can do this at any time.

The Health Research Authority, on advice from the Confidentiality Advisory Group, has provided the legal permission for the Oxford Vaccine Group to use your data under section 251 of the National Health Service Act 2006 – this includes permission for NHS England to identify and invite you on behalf of The Oxford Vaccine Group.

The Confidentiality Advisory Group, is an independent body which provides expert advice on the use of confidential patient information in England and Wales. 

The Oxford Vaccine CENTRE Newsletter

The Oxford Vaccine Centre Newsletter is an opt-in monthly e-mail sent out to people that have either subscribed using their e-mail address themselves via our website, or have taken part in one of our previous studies and given consent to be contacted about further studies.

The OVC newsletter contains news and updates from the Oxford Vaccine Centre as well as national and international vaccine news. The newsletter also lists our currently recruiting studies. You may not be eligible for some or all of the studies listed. You can opt out of receiving this at any time should you wish by clicking the unsubscribe link at the top or bottom of each e-mail.

National Database: Be Part of Research

Be Part of Research is a national opt-in database run by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR).

It keeps people interested in clinical trials up-to-date on studies that may be relevant and of interest to them.

Oxford Vaccine Group use this service to contact people who are interested in receiving invites related to vaccine trials.

We do not see or have access to any of the data. The NIHR hold the data and send invites on our behalf. We do not know who invitations have been sent to unless you choose to take part in a study.

You can opt out, change your contact preferences, and update your personal details at any time directly on the NIHR website :

https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk/

How is my data used?

Any data provided directly to the Oxford Vaccine Group is covered by our privacy policy, which can be found here:

https://compliance.web.ox.ac.uk/individual-rights 

Should you have any further queries regarding your data, please contact us at info@ovg.ox.ac.uk.