Issue Three Winter 2012
it all starts with you
Q&U
Quotient’s newsletter for volunteers
www.weneedyou.co.uk
Welcome to the winter edition of Q&U –
your newsletter that keeps you up-to-date
with the latest news from Quotient Clinical.
As we approach the festive break, we’re happy to say we’ve had another really busy year
here at Quotient. As we go to print we have screened 2,202 volunteers, people like you
who are involved and helping others through developing new medicines.
In this edition of the newsletter, a couple of your fellow volunteers tell about their experiences of taking
part in studies with us. We give you an insight into the screening team at Quotient, plus tell you about a
drug that has now reached the market, where we were involved in some of
the studies.
Next year is already looking like another busy year, so make sure you keep in touch and check
out what trials we have coming up that may just be suitable for you.
May we take this opportunity to wish you a very Merry Christmas and thank you for your
continued support this year and we look forward to welcoming you to Quotient in the New Year.
Volunteer Recruitment Team
Hear from a couple of our volunteers
His wife Joanne decided that she would also
take the opportunity to volunteer with Quotient
after Carl's early experiences.
She said “I saw that the trials were not as
daunting as I first thought. Carl treated them
as a chance to make some extra money, but
also to relax. I thought I'd have a go too and
see which trials were relevant for me. Quotient
were really helpful in finding which trials suited
me best and fitted with my other
commitments.”
Married couple Carl and Joanne have
between them, taken part in seven trials
with Quotient.
Carl, who works in public services, first found
out about Quotient after spotting an
advertisement in the local press around two
years ago. After speaking to a few people he
decided to join the volunteer panel. The trials
Carl has been involved with range from travel
sickness remedies through to drugs to treat
arthritis and lasted from two to three days up
to 14 days.
Talking about the trials Carl said: “With the
flexibility available in my job, Quotient trials
have proven to be a great way to enjoy some
extra income, whilst helping to find treatments
to help others.
“The unit is really comfortable and it’s an
opportunity to take some time out and relax.
I would recommend that people looking to
take part in a trial plan their time around work
and commitments, but you can make it work
for you and in turn have a little extra money to
treat yourselves and family.
“The thorough medicals involved before
starting a trial with Quotient are also a big
plus. We now friends who have had things
discovered during these medicals and have
since been treated. They may never have
known about them before or gone to their GP.
“Doing regular trials with Quotient means we
both receive regular full health checks, which
are really important and a great bonus.”
Recommend-A-Friend and earn up to £100
If you know anyone who is 18 years or over and interested in taking part in our clinical
trials, simply log on to www.weneedyou.co.uk and complete our short RecommendA-Friend online form.
When they have successfully completed an induction with us you will receive £25 AND
when your friend completes the first study you will be able to claim an additional £75.
RECEIVE BETWEEN £200 AND £3000 INCONVENIENCE ALLOWANCE
Quotient studies and you - play a crucial part
in the development of treatment for Epilepsy
A new drug to help treat epilepsy has recently received approval for use here in
Europe. Quotient was involved in the clinical studies leading up to its entry onto
the market. It shows that our studies do really play a part in developing the
medicines of the future.
Quotient was involved in late stage trials that took place at our unit in Nottingham during the
summer of 2010. The drug, sponsored by a large Japanese company, is currently
undergoing review in the US too. This drug will bring a new method of treatment to millions
of epilepsy sufferers worldwide. Clinical studies are a crucial part of this process.
Our Movember guys
A group of our guys here at Quotient took part
in the now famous Movember. They happily
grew a range of facial hair during November
all in the name of charity. The charity raises
awareness of testicular and prostate cancer
and is doing a sterling job as every year it
appears to gather more support.
Our team of 4 raised £329 collecting sponsorship
from family, friends, colleagues and volunteers. This
was matched by Quotient, making a grand total of
£658. Next year if you join in, send us your pictures
of your Movember efforts and we’ll share the best ones on our Facebook page.
Feedback and Actions
We’ve been asked on several occasions
for more detail on what happens when
you’re on a study - so volunteers can now
have a breakdown of what’s happening and
when during a trial, more of timetable. This
way you know when you need to be
available for bloods etc so that it doesn’t
interrupt study or game playing mid-flow!
We’ve been doing a lot of work on
improving the food at the unit.
Following on from comments in our
feedback questionnaires, we’ve
improved the choice and worked
closely with the caterers on the
quality of the food. In fact, one
volunteers told us recently that it’s
better than he eats at home!
Here’s some more of your feedback
“The food is much
nicer than it used to be,
the squash and breakfast
choice is very good.”
“There’s enough
leisure facilities to
occupy you and they’re
well maintained.”
A lot of our regular volunteers have also
commented on the improvement since the
last time they came in too, so it’s good to
hear the work that we’ve done is paying off.
“It was like
a holiday”
Meet our
screening
team
Our screening team, the people you
meet when you decide to enter onto
a trial, carry out the tests to ensure
that you are fully eligible to take part.
The team is made up of five highly
qualified health professionals.
Mel, Pippa, Debbie, Fiona and Caron all
work very closely with volunteers. They
have over 100 years combined
experience in drug research and
healthcare, so they know their stuff!
We asked them all individually what they
enjoyed about Quotient and their
answers all mirrored each other; they all
enjoy meeting you the volunteers. The
interaction with new people and seeing
old faces return to do another trial is
something they all mentioned as a
highlight in their job.
As well as being a bunch of experienced
healthcare professionals, there is a trend
for talent in gardening amongst them.
There is also a few horses and a bit
genealogy research thrown in for variety.
So when you’re next visting Quotient,
make sure you say hello. They all enjoy
chatting and getting to know more about
our volunteers.
Contact us
Forthcoming studies
Volunteer and Patients
We have studies coming on board all the time, including ones for
post-menopausal women, so keep checking the ‘study list’
section of our website, www.weneedyou.co.uk, for details.
Study
list
online
As well as healthy volunteer studies, we also sometimes have patient
studies, that may be of interest to family and friends who may suffer from a
certain condition. We are currently recruiting for Asthma sufferers taking a long acting
beta-agonist with a preventer inhaler and diagnosed sufferers of either Crohn’s disease
or Ulcerative Colitis.
Keep us updated on any changes,
by emailing
[email protected]
Or telephone 0115 974 9000