17/09/2026
A pioneering new initiative set to transform how people access health research has officially launched today, as the Western Trust unveiled the first Mobile Health Research Service in Northern Ireland aimed at advancing research equity in rural, socioeconomically deprived and underserved communities.
Branded Mobile Health Research – ‘Wheels in Motion, Research in Action’ and ‘On the Road to Better Health’, the service has a specially designed mobile unit that will take research out of hospitals and into the heart of communities, helping more people than ever before to learn about, participate in and benefit from health research.
The project builds on the Western Trust’s growing collaboration with the Centre for Research Equity, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, which is focused on improving health equity and ensuring research better reflects the diverse communities it serves. Additionally, with the help of local communities through extensive Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) sessions, the project reflects a simple but powerful vision: To make clinical research accessible, inclusive, and representative by bringing research opportunities directly into communities across Northern Ireland