Facilities and Services

Our Vision

The Kingshill Research Centre aspires to improve ‘quality of life’ for patients and carers by producing high quality research information for use in the development of new treatment alternatives.

Introduction

Since it opened in 1994 as a clinical trials site, Kingshill has gained an international reputation for excellence, working for some 30 pharmaceutical companies (including nine of the current top ten) on over 35 different clinical trials during the past 8 years. It now has an academic research team and a memory team, as well as its established clinical trials team.

We have extensive experience in the conduct of clinical trials, specialising in trials of drug treatments for:

• Alzheimer's Disease
  
  
• Vascular Dementia
  
  
• Lewy Body Dementia
  
  
• Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)
  
  
• Major Depressive Disorder
  
  
• Other neurological and psychiatric conditions affecting the elderly.

The site’s focus is on expert, accurate and efficient data collection along with thorough and precise recording of the results in order to produce valid data. Data queries are dealt with promptly and study timelines are often exceeded.

The classes of drugs that have been tested at the site include; cholinesterase inhibitors, muscarinic receptor agonists, nicotinic receptor agonists, channel blockers, nootropic agents and other drugs of unclassified character or with unknown mechanism of action.

Principal Investigator Dr Roger Bullock has over ten years clinical trials experience and is recognised worldwide as an authority in the field of dementia research.

Our aim is to create an environment that provides a supportive atmosphere to both patients and carers, enabling them to relax and enjoy the time they spend at Kingshill.

Facilities and Capacity

Kingshill Research Centre is currently housed in a 2500sq ft facility located on the first floor of Victoria Hospital, Swindon. Disabled access is made possible by a lift.

The centre features:

• 3 examination rooms
• a waiting area
• offices
• a large Carers' Room (also used for training, meetings and monitor visits)
• an academic library for the use of staff at Kingshill and in the Department of Old Age Psychiatry at Victoria Hospital

Equipment is regularly maintained and updated and is subject to annual quality assurance checks.

The clinical trials team offer a full-time service, running clinics on three days a week (Tuesday, Wedenesday and Thursday). The other two days are set aside for the necessary administration, patient visits, recruitment and promotion. All team members are trained to GCP ICH standards (Good Clinical Practice - International Committee on Harmonisation) and are members of the Institute of Clinical Research.

Services

Kingshill is committed to the provision of high quality, accurate and valid research data in an environment that actively benefits both patients and carers.

The centre has the experience and facilities to conduct:

• PHASE II - Studies testing a drug's efficacy.
  
  
• PHASE III - More thorough and widespread testing of a drug's effectiveness, benefits and the range of adverse reactions.
  
  
• LATE PHASE III / PHASE IV (POST- MARKET SURVEILLANCE TRIALS) - comparative studies, studies of long-term effectiveness and impact on quality of life, studies of cost-effectiveness.

(For more information on the phases of clinical trials, click here.)

In addition, the centre develops new trial protocols, prepares LREC and MREC applications on behalf of sponsors and provides specialised consultancy services to the pharmaceutical industry.

Memory and Prescribing Clinics are now run by the Department of Old Age Psychiatry, contributing to the early diagnosis of dementia and providing valuable data for our research team. The Memory Team offers information and support to people who support and/or care for someone experiencing memory problems by way of dedicated Carers' Support Workers.

Kingshill also has a growing reputation as an academic research institution, publishing the results in international journals and presenting at conferences (see Our Research).

For more detailed information on our clinical trials capabilities and services, please contact us.

If you are interested in the possibility of taking part in Kingshill's clinical trials or research, please read our section on dementia research and, in particular, on how to get involved.

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