The Patient First Research panel is a secure UK community of people living with health conditions, or those who care for someone who does.

By joining, you can share your real-life experiences in research studies that help improve medicines, treatments, and the way healthcare is delivered. Earn. Learn. Make a difference.

You’ll receive fair payment for your time — which you can keep or donate (in part or full) to charity. The choice is entirely yours.

With our Always Reward Promise, taking part always counts — you're rewarded whether you qualify for a study or not.

All participation is governed by our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy, which follow the BHBIA, EphMRA, and MRS codes of conduct.

Market research is a structured and ethical way of gathering real-world opinions, experiences, and insights from people like you. In healthcare, it helps researchers, charities, and organisations understand what patients and caregivers truly think, feel, and need.

It is not medical testing, or anything involving treatment changes. Instead, it typically involves sharing your anonymised views through:

 — Short online surveys

 — Telephone or video interviews

 — Group discussions or online communities

Your feedback helps improve medicines, services, support pathways, and patient experiences across the UK — and you are always compensated for your time.

The panel is managed by Patient First Research, a UK-based healthcare market research company. 

We are ICO registered and follow the professional and ethical guidelines of MRS, BHBIA, and EphMRA.

We work closely with:

 — UK patient charities and support groups

 — Pharmaceutical research teams

 — Healthcare consultancies

 — Medical communications agencies

 — Health technology innovators

These partnerships create a bridge between those who need answers — and those who have them.

Anyone aged 18 or over who lives in the UK and takes medication (prescribed or over the counter) can join. Many research opportunities are about your experiences with UK healthcare, not only specific diseases.

We also welcome:

 — Parents, guardians, or caregivers of children with a health condition.

 — Careers or family members who support someone with a long-term condition.

You don’t need any previous research experience — just a genuine voice and willingness to share your opinion.

Always. There are no membership fees or hidden charges.

Joining Patient First Research means becoming part of a trusted, supportive UK community where your lived experience genuinely shapes the future of healthcare. Earn. Learn. Make a difference.

With our Always Reward Promise, taking part always counts — you’re rewarded whether you qualify for a study or not.

By joining the Patient First Research panel, you:

 — Join a friendly, supportive UK community that values patient and caregiver experiences.

 — Gain the opportunity to learn about emerging treatments and upcoming innovations.

 — Receive transparent, fair rewards for taking part — with payments added to your dashboard and available to withdraw securely when you choose.

 — Ensure your voice is heard while helping shape the future of medicines, treatments, and healthcare services.

 — Support causes that matter to you, with the option to donate some or all of your earnings to charity.

No, participation is entirely optional. You choose what feels right for you.

Taking part is voluntary and completely separate from your medical care. Your GP, hospital, or healthcare team will not be informed unless you choose to tell them.

 — Free to join: We will never ask you for payment.

 — Flexible opportunities: Take part in your own time.

 — Fast payment: After you complete a study, your incentive will appear as pending in your dashboard while the research is reviewed. Once approved, it’s added to your dashboard wallet straight away.

 — Fair incentives: Upon successful completion of your research study, your incentive will be added to your dashboard wallet.

 — Online surveys: £5–£60 or more depending on topic and duration. Online surveys are typically no more than 30 minutes in length.

 — Telephone Interviews or focus groups: £60–£250 or more, depending on topic and duration. A typical telephone interview will last between 45-60 minutes.

 — A participation reward: Even if you don’t qualify for a study, you’ll still receive a smaller participation incentive in your dashboard wallet. It’s our way of recognising your time and support — ensuring you always benefit from being part of the Patient First Research community.

 — Option to donate: You can give part or all of your reward to charity.

 — Personal dashboard: Track payments, update your profile, and view available opportunities.

 — UK-based support: Our friendly team is available by email, or phone.

 — Full transparency: You’ll always know what’s involved and what you’ll earn before taking part.

Registration takes around 1–2 minutes, depending on your responses.

Once registered, you’ll be able to access your personal dashboard and start earning your first reward by completing your initial profiling.

We’ve designed the process to be simple and accessible.

Completing your profile helps us match you to the most relevant opportunities — meaning more chances to qualify and earn.

As part of our Always Reward Promise, you’ll always receive a reward for taking part.

How payments work

After you complete a study, your reward will show as pending in your dashboard while the research is reviewed.

As soon as your reward is approved, it’s added to your dashboard wallet straight away and we’ll send you a confirmation email.

From there, you can withdraw your payment — with most UK payments arriving the same day within your chosen bank account.

Your privacy and security matter.
That’s why we’ve chosen to handle payments securely, through a trusted UK-regulated payment provider — so your bank details are never shared directly with us.

Many members choose to build up their balance and withdraw at a time that suits them.

You’re always in control:

 — Withdraw funds

 — Keep balance

 — Donate to charity

Minimum withdrawal:

To help keep things simple and efficient, the minimum withdrawal amount from your dashboard balance is £15.

With our Always Reward Promise, every time you take part you’ll continue to build your balance — not just when you complete a study — so you’ll reach this naturally over time.

Typical payments:

 — Online surveys: £5–£60+

 — Interviews: £60–£250+

Participation Reward: Paid even if you don’t qualify.

You’ll always know exactly how much you’ll be paid before taking part.

We may need to pause or withhold payment if:

 — The research activity wasn’t fully completed;

 — Fraudulent or duplicate participation is suspected;

 — Your payment or identity details are incomplete or invalid.

When you’re invited to a study, you’ll first answer a few short initial screening questions. These are simply to check whether the study is the right fit for your experiences.

 — Completion incentive: If you meet the study criteria and go on to complete the full research activity, you’ll receive the full completion incentive. This is always clearly stated upfront.

 — Participation incentive: If the study isn’t the right match on this occasion, you’ll still receive a smaller thank-you participation incentive in your dashboard — just for taking the time to try. 

This approach ensures that your time is recognised every time you participate, and reflects our commitment to fairness and appreciation across the entire Patient First Research community.

To avoid any confusion, you will only receive one incentive per study. If you qualify and complete the full research activity, you’ll receive the completion incentive. If you do not qualify, you’ll receive the participation incentive instead — never both.

 — Register online typically in just 1–2 minutes.

 — As part of registration, your details are quickly and securely verified so you can get started straight away.

 — Once registered, you’ll be able to access your personal dashboard immediately.

 — From there, you can complete your initial profiling and receive your welcome bonus — your first reward for getting started.

 — With your profile in place, you’ll begin receiving relevant research invitations by email and text message. Earn. Learn. Make a difference.

Personal support whenever you need it

We get it. One size doesn't always fit all. The computer should never say no when it should be saying yes! We have human UK-based support available to help you with any questions or registration support.

We have alternative solutions to help you register, so that no genuine respondent misses out on the opportunity to join the Patient First Research community.

Yes — you can invite friends or family to join the Patient First Research community directly from your dashboard.

By referring someone, you’re giving them the opportunity to take part in research, earn rewards, and help improve healthcare.

When someone you refer goes on to take part in a research study, you’ll receive a referral bonus as a thank you.

This helps us grow a trusted community of genuine patients and caregivers, while giving you another opportunity to earn.

Yes! Through our Giving Back programme, you can donate part or all of your reward to our charity partners.

We contact members through email, text message (SMS), and occasionally by telephone when a study requires a quick response or personal confirmation. To make sure you don’t miss invitations:

 — Add our email address to your safe senders list: community@patientfirstresearch.org

 — Keep your mobile number and telephone contact details updated.

 — Check spam/junk folders occasionally.

You can manage your contact preferences at any time through your dashboard.

You may be invited to take part in:

 — Online surveys

 — Telephone or video interviews

 — Online discussion forums or communities

 — Focus groups

 — Diary studies (tracking your experiences)

 — Clinical trial recruitment (only if you’ve chosen to be considered)

Each opportunity will include full details — topic, time commitment, and incentive — before you decide whether to take part.

Customer support is our top priority.

If you need help with anything at all, contact our friendly UK-based support team: 

 📧 support@patientfirstresearch.org

 📞 01603 385915 (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm)

These contact details are displayed throughout the registration process for your convenience and all of our communication with you.

You can update your details through your dashboard.

Keeping your profile current helps us match you with the most relevant research opportunities — and ensures we can reach you when new studies open.

Verification is a key part of keeping our community fair, secure, and genuinely patient-focused. Because we offer paid research opportunities, we occasionally see attempts from bots, duplicate accounts, or people who are not real patients or caregivers.

Ensuring that only genuine members join, protects the quality of the research and the experience of every legitimate participant.

Verification helps us:

 — Confirm that each member is a real person with genuine lived experience.

 — Prevent fraud and safeguard the integrity of the community.

 — Ensure research results are trustworthy and accurately reflect real patient voices.

 — Match you to the most relevant and meaningful opportunities.

Verification may include:

 — Phone validation

 — Email validation

 — Address confirmation

 — Behavioural fraud screening

 — Review of ID and proof of conditions by our UK-based team

If anything doesn’t match, we may request a quick additional check — but we never ask for unnecessary information, and you’re supported throughout.

We only ever ask for what’s necessary and store your information securely in line with our Privacy Policy and UK GDPR.

These checks help keep the community safe — and ensure that every voice in our research is real, respected, and valuable.

Your privacy is our top priority.

 — Your information is used only for research participation and verification.

 — We comply fully with UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, and ICO requirements.

 — We follow the ethical codes of BHBIA, EphMRA, and the MRS.

 — Your personal details are stored securely and will never be sold or used for marketing.

 — Detailed information on how we use, store, and protect your data is available in the Panel Members Privacy Policy 2026.

 — You can request that your information be deleted at any time.

You’ll never be left on your own. Our UK support team can guide you step-by-step and offer alternative solutions if you have any trouble registering.

No. You’re always in control. Accept or decline any invitation — it won’t affect your chances of future studies.

Certain studies may require simple verification such as a prescription label, clinic letter, or GP confirmation.

You’ll always be told in advance if this is needed, or you can upload documents via your dashboard. Verification improves accuracy, security, and the number of opportunities you qualify for.

Yes, anytime. 

You can click “unsubscribe” in any of our emails or contact our support team. 

If you request it, we’ll permanently delete all your data from our system, in line with our Privacy Policy.

We’re a real UK-based team, here to help with anything you need. 

Email: support@patientfirstresearch.org

Phone: 01603 385915