Health research clinics to open in Scotland

Launched in 2022, the UK research programme is a collaboration between the public, charity and private sectors and aims to create a detailed picture of people’s health and transform the prevention, detection and treatment of conditions including dementia and heart disease.

Volunteers participating in the programme are asked to complete a questionnaire about their health and lifestyle, in addition to providing a blood sample and having physical measurements taken.

The programme combines information and sample data from volunteers with existing information about them, including their health records. Researchers then combine the data with genetic data from a representative cohort to calculate disease risk scores for participants, where possible. 

Linda Bauld, professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh, said: “The burden of disease in Scotland is projected to rise by 21% by 2043, which means it is increasingly important that we have access to data that can help inform efforts to address this.

“This programme has the potential to improve healthcare in Scotland, supporting early detection and prevention, and in turn helping people in Scotland to live in good health for longer.”

The programme has over a million volunteers from other parts of the UK to date.

Dr Raghib Ali, chief executive and chief medical officer at Our Future Health, said: “We will be inviting people in Scotland to join our programme, giving them the opportunity to learn more about their own health and help to improve the health of everyone in Scotland and reduce inequalities.

“Researchers in Scotland will also be able to apply to use our resource to make new discoveries about diseases, including those that pose significant challenges in Scotland.”