The Gap in Post-Research Care

Drug trials have long-established pathways for continued treatment access. But for non-drug, intervention-based research, no formal system exists to guide patients safely into ongoing care once the study ends.

Recent PPIE engagement (May 2025) highlights the impact of this gap. Many participants report frustration—and sometimes real distress—when the high level of care in research support abruptly ends. This “cliff-edge” experience often stems from:

• Future care providers having limited understanding of new interventions (no NICE guidance exists yet).

• Patients receive little more than a generic (non personalised) handout, leaving them unable to communicate their treatment history effectively.

• Difficulty identifying care providers willing or able to continue support.

• Limited support for managing their condition during transition.

The Opportunity

There is a clear need—and opportunity—to formalise the pathway from research to routine care. By treating research-to-care transition as a shared challenge across intervention-based studies, we can create a digital, scalable system that:

• Helps research organisations ethically meet continuity-of-care obligations.

• Reduces pressure on the NHS and enables third-sector providers to deliver high-quality ongoing care.

• Encourages future participation in research by improving the overall patient experience.

Introducing R2CT: A New Model for Transition

The UK health ecosystem is diverse—GPs, NHS Trusts, private providers, charities and third-sector services. Research organisations cannot integrate digitally with all of them.

But they can integrate with the one constant: the patient.

R2CT places the patient at the centre of integration, giving them the tools and information needed to transition confidently to future care providers—while enabling clinicians and organisations to understand the intervention they received.

Safe Space One is extending its Innovate UK award-winning prototype and partnerships with multiple research organisations to build a single, scalable platform supporting research-to-care transition across clinical pathways.

What Our Platform Enables

• Patient-led information sharing Patients can securely connect with any care provider and share their treatment insights with digitally assured confidentiality.

• Guidance for future clinicians Research organisations can provide tailored, confidential explanations of the intervention to support safe ongoing care.

• Individual treatment notes Patient-specific information can be shared securely to support continuity of treatment.

• Easy creation of self-care resources Research organisations can build and share guided self-care content using familiar tools like MS Office.