About Us

Built by GPs. Designed for the future of research.

Our Story

Strata PCRA was founded by practising GPs who recognised that Devon and the South West, with its diverse communities, dispersed geography and committed primary care workforce, was an underutilised resource for commercial clinical research.

We built the Alliance to change that. Our network gives pharmaceutical sponsors and CROs reliable, well-governed access to a broad and genuinely representative patient population, delivered by experienced GP investigators who understand both the science and the realities of NHS primary care.

Rigorous governance, commercial responsiveness and operational reliability are at the core of everything we do.

About Us

What Makes Us Different

We are a GP-led alliance of multiple practices and PCNs. The practices in our network are active NHS surgeries with long-standing relationships with their patients: relationships that matter enormously in research recruitment and retention. Our Research Manager works across the network, supporting practices of all sizes and experience levels to deliver studies safely and efficiently.

We work in close association with NIHR Research Delivery Network South West Peninsula, University Hospitals Plymouth and Sentinel Healthcare, giving our network access to secondary care expertise, shared infrastructure, and a genuine continuum of research delivery from primary to secondary care.

Research for everyone

Several practices within the Strata network are Deep End practices, serving some of the most deprived and underserved communities in Devon and the South West. We are committed to ensuring that participation in clinical research is accessible to all patients. This directly supports the NIHR's inclusion agenda and means that sponsors working with us can access genuinely diverse patient populations, improving the representativeness and real-world applicability of their research.

To my amazement I found that this practice is successfully delivering and recruiting to a portfolio CTIMP sponsored by a major global pharmaceutical company. I know very well the complexity and commitment needed to deliver these trials successfully — and this team is doing it.
— Consultant in Older Adult Psychiatry, Devon Partnership NHS Trust, with extensive experience as Principal and Chief Investigator in dementia clinical trials

Our Values

Connected We are practicing GPs, not intermediaries. Our relationships with patients are real, long-standing and trusted and that makes a measurable difference to recruitment, retention and data quality. When you work with Strata PCRA you're working directly with the clinicians delivering your study, supported by a network of practices and partners across the South West Peninsula.

Responsive We understand that commercial timelines aren't flexible. Our dedicated Research Manager, streamlined governance and experienced investigator network mean we're ready to move when you are, without compromising on quality or compliance.

Inclusive Our network spans urban and rural communities across Devon and the South West, including populations that are typically underserved and underrepresented in clinical research. We actively work to ensure research reaches all demographics, giving sponsors access to a broader, more representative patient population and stronger, more generalisable data.

Dependable We say what we can deliver and we deliver what we say. Honest feasibility, transparent governance, and consistent communication throughout.

Contact us

Whether you're a sponsor with a study in mind or a practice thinking about joining the Alliance, we'd love to hear from you

Research Manager‍ ‍

For study coordination, feasibility requests and day-to-day enquiries, contact our Research Manager directly or fill in the form:

📧 emma.roberts79@nhs.net