The NIHR Sussex CDRC is a centre of excellence for the delivery of commercial clinical trial research for the population of Sussex. Operating across a geographical area of 1,461 square miles University Hospitals Sussex serves a population of 1.7 million people.
Access to a large, older and diverse population
The Sussex ICS footprint is large, bounded by the English Channel and coastal towns to the south, it contains a city (Brighton & Hove), one New Town (Crawley) and a rural hinterland with market towns, smaller towns, and villages. 1.718m people live in Sussex (2020): 292k in Brighton and Hove; 559k in East Sussex and 868k in West Sussex.
Demographic and health data profile
Sussex CRDC offers access to the large and diverse population of Sussex, with a growing and aging population. Over the next 20 years, the South East population will grow by 6% (~0.5m people) and age, with the proportion of people aged 75+ increasing from 10% to 15% (~0.5m more people).
People are spending more of their lives in poor health as healthy life expectancy fails to keep pace with life expectancy. Major conditions associated with our older population include cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic kidney disease, chronic respiratory disease, and neurological diseases including dementia.
Coastal areas and more deprived areas with large ethnic minority populations have a particularly high burden of disease. The biggest increases in demand for healthcare will be for conditions like chronic pain, diabetes, anxiety or depression and the prevalence of multiple long-term conditions will grow as the population ages.
Sussex offers a unique population for clinical studies relating to these conditions, supported by expert clinicians and a fast and efficient region research delivery infrastructure.
NHS England South East, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. ‘Tomorrow’s Region: the long-term outlook for the health of the South East Region’ 2024.
Involving our communities
We have an active Research Champions group who feedback on services and can provide input into local study feasibility.
We work with the Sussex Research Engagement Network (REN) to engage our communities and promote diverse and inclusive participation in research.