The Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust is the first site in the country to recruit a patient, a Featherstone woman, into an international clinical trial examining different treatments for venous leg ulcers.

Liz Morgan, from Featherstone, has been suffering from a leg ulcer since July last year, and decided to take part in the study after it was recommended by the community nurses at the Trust, who were treating her.

Liz said: “I was under the care of the community nurses, and they mentioned I may be suitable to take part in an upcoming clinical trial.

"I was keen to try anything that may improve my condition – I didn’t have any reservations at all.”

Liz Morgan, from Featherstone, was recruited by the local NHS Trust into an international clinical trial examining different treatments for venous leg ulcers.

Venous leg ulcers are long-lasting, chronic wounds that usually develop on the lower leg around the ankle area, with around one in 50 people over the age of 80 affected.

They require specialist compression therapy over time to help them heal.

However, due to the nature of the ulcer they can often produce large amounts of fluid, which can lead to discomfort and distress for the patient.

To prevent this, NHS Researchers are working with pharmaceutical company Essity to test two different types of highly absorbent wound dressings.

The study aims to discover if one is more successful at managing the fluid or promotes better wound healing than the other.

Liz continued: ““It’s been a great experience and it’s also rewarding to be able to play a small part in helping find better treatments for others in the future. I would encourage anyone given the opportunity to take part in a clinical trial to give it go.”

Following the trial, the study will be offered to patients across the Trust’s three hospitals in Wakefield, Pontefract and Dewsbury later this year.

Leanne Atkin, vascular nurse consultant at the Trust and the trial’s Principal Investigator, said: “Patients in research active hospitals have better outcomes, so it’s fantastic that we can offer access to clinical trials and new treatments to our patients here at Mid Yorkshire.

“I’m really proud of the team for recruiting the first patient on to this trial – it’s testament to their hard work, and to the importance the Trust places on research activity.”

Featherstone woman becomes first UK patient in international medical trial

Comment Guidelines