Really enjoyed my 2 weeks of quarantine with FluCamp. It was a really nice break from the world, just 2 weeks of quiet time to relax, with food and unlimited snacks provided to you and nothing else to do besides having a good time. And it's extremely well paid, so that's that. The communication throughout the whole screening process (1st and 2nd medical appointments) and leading to quarantine was all super clear and transparent. My only regret is not having heard of FluCamp earlier honestly

Extremely easy process throughout, food and accommodation was good. Staff were extremely helpful always checking in and informing me of what was happening.

Absolutely loved my stay, first appointment gave my blood, second appointment done a few tests which I passed, then was awaiting a quarantine stay, got my fixed date. Went to London had my stay, 2 weeks great staff, food was nice, it changes everyday so you don’t get bored, room is well equipped with snacks, staff always checking up if you’re okay, you have a tv and games console. I just wish the process from first appointment, second appointment and quarantine date were quicker and not so far apart. I really want to go again! Just did my first visit of my second trial, I want to do the process again! Hope I get picked again. I can’t describe how fun it was and how quick the time went.

FluCamp were my third paid clinical trial so it was not a new experience for me, however, it was my first long stay in quarantine.

Overall I had a good experience - I think it's helpful to be mentally prepared for what to expect before you go in because not being able to leave your room for 16 days can be pretty intense.

First of all - it's not a holiday, you will have a lot of free time and few responsibilities, but the trial and your safety are #1 priority so you will need to be available to fill out symptom diary cards, perform breathing tests, have bloods taken, ECGs, vitals etc. And these can all happen at any time from 7am to 2am at night (thankfully late night stuff is rare - only 3 days out of the 16 total). So you think you'll get loads of sleep lying in bed for 16 days but it doesn't work out that way.

Second - the room is similar to a hospital ward, there's no privacy because you need to be under 24/7 observation for safety, the bathroom is private but doors not lockable, there's also a noise coming from outside at all times of day and lights in the corridor outside the room are only dimmed from about 11pm to 6am. My recommendation, bring good ear plugs and a face mask, these are essential especially if you're a light sleeper like me!

Third - the beds are hospital beds with foam mattresses and very basic bedding. Ok for a night or two but not comfortable for a long stay. Bringing a pillow or comfort blanket from home might make it a bit more comfy, and don't be afraid to ask for extra pillows.

The food is mostly very healthy and they give you a variety of options including burgers, salads, soups, and main dishes. Some meals were tasty (e.g. spiced lentil soup, ramen in soy broth, caesar salad) whilst others were bland (the vegetable 'curry' which consisted of dry vegetables with a little bit of spice seasoning and no sauce, with rice and stale pitta bread). Thankfully you can always ask for snacks and they have a good stash of snacks you can eat, so you'll never go hungry. I lost a little weight on the trial from all the healthy eating.

You can wash clothes in the bathroom sink but it's very small. I recommend bringing plenty of pants and socks, tops and trousers you can get away with wearing for 3 or 4 days, everyone's wearing full face masks when they come into your room anyway!

Having my gaming laptop and some good books really helped the time go by. Don't forget chargers and adapters for your electronics as these are not provided. They do provide a TV and console with one game but I never used it as I had all my own entertainment.

Most of the staff are lovely but you'll meet so many of them that you'll forget most of their names!

Easiest money I've made - over 5 grand to lie in bed for 16 days plus one follow-up visit. Payment is very quick, usually 2-3 working days after end of quarantine, and second payment after the follow-up visit.

Hopefully there will be another trial for me after a few months have passed, as I'd do it again for sure.

What a terrible company and service. One week before I was due to start my 16 night trial after making plans form the stay, I looked at reviews and saw that some room DO NOT have a window which I think it a complete joke and how is anyone expected to stay in a room for 16 nights with no window if you can't leave??! After requesting a window, I was advised theses are allocated at random and then I had an email advising my application had been withdrawn. Thank the lord.. Prison would have been better than this. AVOID!!!

Flucamp was very professional and efficient with a very high standard of care towards people participating in the trials. Food was lovely and all the staff were very polite, would definitely think about doing it again.

I had my first trial at the beginning of March and I was happy to hear that I got one of the best rooms. The view was great and the room setting was perfect for me to spend my time doing a painting. I heard that not all rooms are that nice which can make your stay during the trial not as pleasant as when you have the room full with windows, but if they do change the place it's great news. Food was good, a lot of variety and big portions. Plenty of snacks. TV with Netflix and Playstation with games keeps you entertained while staying there. Staff was very friendly, experienced and attentive. They make sure to call you before any appointment which is great. I would definitely come back if it's possible.

My first visit was on Friday 15th March I arrived quite early for my appointment as I had travelled quite a distance. The reception was very welcoming and I was the first person to be seen which was really good as it means I didn't need to wait around. From the first day I went I found everyone very professional, friendly and also they put you at ease. I would also like to say big thank you Madeline who has been really helpful in the process of claiming back my expenses.

The 2 weeks quarantine won't be for everyone, but for me I found it relaxing and generally enjoyable.

tl;dr, very good, go for it.

The virus I was given was a mild cold virus, and I only had mild symptoms lasting a few days, and no side effects from the test medicine.

The staff are very professional, and better trained than I have experienced on other clinical trials. They have specialised phlebotomists as well as nurses who take your blood, and all staff are polite, friendly, and are generally open to a brief chat during procedures.

The food was excellent, easily the highest standard I've seen on clinical trials. I gained about 1kg, whoops. Unfortunately, it was often delivered cold, and due to infection control generally can't be taken away to re-heat. I'm not sure whether they would allow you to bring a microwave into the room. The only exception to the high standard of the food was the Japanese meals. The ramen was bad; the noodles had been left too long after cooking so they were a congealed mess, and the broth was weak. The katsu curry was served with undercooked long grain rice and had a weak flavour.

For the first 2 days, the wifi was down, however when it was restored it was extremely fast - 300Mb/s download and upload on wifi.

I was able to work remotely without issue, although there were 2 days in which there were procedures every hour during the day. Other than that, there were only a few procedures throughout the day, so plenty of time to concentrate on work.

I was lucky enough to have a window with a nice view of central London, which helped massively. I understand their new facility in Canary Wharf will make nice views much more likely.

My negative criticism is:
>Cold food, no microwave
>Constantly having to ask for bottled water to be brought - seems like it would be more cost effective for flu camp to provide water coolers in each room, or just plumbed mains drinking water.
>Some nights where there is no 8 hour period without procedures means a good night's sleep is impossible
>Not being given a timetable of procedures means it's difficult to know when you can go for a shower etc
>They don't pay for travel for anything after the first visit, and only pay £20 inconvenience for follow-ups, which isn't even close to covering my train ticket. The disconnect between the recruitment department and the volunteer payments team makes this a more complex process than it should be. Other clinical trial providers are far more generous.
>It can be difficult to get information about test results and confirmation of a place on a trial from recruitment. They often tell you they can't give you any information, and that somebody else will call you back later that day, then that doesn't happen. You just have to be belligerent and keep calling until you get through to someone helpful.
>Some staff let the tube on the nasal wash to dangle after it's been in your nose which gets messy. Most staff ask you to hold it to avoid this.

The staff on the phones and at the facility were respectful and helpful, everyone I met was very kind and did a good job of making it all feel less weird. The preliminary process was a little onerous and expensive for someone travelling a long way to attend appointments but if you live nearer London or Manchester it will be easier. I was lucky enough to wangle a room with a window but was surprised to discover that only about a third of them have them, which seems a bit mad. However I was also told that the facility is moving to another building soon with many more windows. If this is the case, then I shall definitely return for another trial (if they'll have me), my experience was very relaxing, given the circumstances, the food was delicious, the pay, more so. Credit B. Rand.

Signed up, end of 2022, did blood test matched to trial. Moved from scotland so didn't have medical records, joined local medical practice they would do nothing to get me my records in time lied to my face repeatedly saying it wasn't their responsibility PCSE disagreed still nothing, realised my practice squires lane medical in north finchley are listed as top 2o worst in entire london out of over 1200 practices on mylondonnews website..., i eventually 6 months later chased them up myself got a new copy produced and sent in time. Flucamp sent me to manchester for second screening passed all tests then told in manchester no slots left for trial.. gave me £50 on top of expenses for my troubles. Went on to other trials phase one trials with hammersmith and northwick park, disqualified due to pityriasis versicolor (very mild skin condition) moved on from medical trials... fast forward 9 months late nov 2023 random phone call from flu camp ive been matched... i said i didn't want to get my hopes up due to being disqualified for skin conditions could they double check ill be ok, came back said yes thats fine... went for blood test... matched to two trials...sent email saying they will book me soon for second screen/health check. Nothing for over a month january chase up tell me 12th of Feb im booked for call back, 12 Feb comes no phone call, i call them now its 20th Feb for booking for the trial im matched to, 20th no phone call.. i call them now its oh sorry we'll get in touch finally get phone call from Mathew trute nice fella asked me series of questions booked me on trial and date for second screen... then days before today infact phoned to say im not going ahead and disqualified because of remark left on medical records most probably by squires lane medical practice that says "threatening behaviour" but there is no time or date stamped or stated who left this remark or when this behaviour happened, flucamp also said they still had my previous medical records from the year earlier which also had the same remark on it. This was obviously left out of spite by squires lane and i should never of told them i needed my records for a medical trial as they clearly didn't like this possibly jealous of the money side of it and there for lied to me for months on end and did nothing to source them for me. No where in scotland for a whole 38 years of my life was there any similar remarks and all other entries on my medical record were detailed and time and date stamped with the name of the GP who made the entry. Besides this fact when you look at Flucamp they are absolutely dis organised and do not respect your time or your life when it comes to how they run things, they are take take take when it comes to their process they use and dispose of your time and energy through lack of communication, and not keeping you in the loop wondering whats going on. They say your matched to trials and then use information they have had access to for over a year to disqualify you from it because they didn't bother to look at your medical records ? Great professionalism ? I think not... you may be one of the lucky ones but this review section would be filled 80% with negative reviews if flu camp didn't leave those other applicants with the impression that they may get on sometime in the future... in reality they do not care, they get paid for every head through the door for blood tests and screenings and they make probably more money from this than the trial itself and I'm a non smoker non drinker non drug taker clean as a whistle blood , No covid vaccine no previous covid infection and no antibodies that would disqualify me from this trial, and if you know anything about flucamp then you know thats important, no illness's on my record they had previously flagged at all in the year they had my medical records... The communication is terrible the organisation you can only describe as negligent or purposefully manipulative which ever way you look at it ! Don't waste your time don't let this company exploit your energy and time while not even phoning you when they say they would and making you chase them up for weeks and months about a trial that they contacted you about in the first place ! This review is my experience in its entirety no exaggeration and nothing left out either. Take from it what you will.

All the staff were really lovely and took the time to chat with you whilst conducting the tests and went above and beyond to make sure you have enough snack and PS4 games. The food was also tasty but I bit limited on choice if you have dietary requirements. My job is fully remote so I was able to work virtually undisturbed the whole time which really helped pass the time.
Would definitely do it again!

I had an excellent experience, especially with the friendly and helpful staff during the trial. However, there is room for improvement in the selection of daily meals. I found that breakfast and lunch options were repetitive. Introducing daily specialty meals, similar to the approach taken for dinner, could make a significant difference. Additionally, I noticed that the provided salad option tasted not fresh and sometimes weird. Despite these meal considerations, which are crucial for volunteers' well-being during isolation, my overall experience during the recent trial was amazing—and the compensation money received was great too.

Was a super positive experience, the nurses were supportive and lovely! Any questions I had were answered and the trial was well worth doing. And the money is good. If you are a recent graduate or unemployed it’s ideal. My work let me have two weeks unpaid leave but it pays back 3* what I earn

Any company that gives me £5k to sit around and play Bloodborne for 2 weeks, easily gets 5* from me.

However it's not a walk in the park to get into FluCamp, it took me 3 attempts, by which point the friendly staff most definitely remembered me.

I'm gonna give some advice for anyone reading this review that's trying to get on. I've read a few negative reviews, and it's mostly from people that either:

A: Were unable to get onto the trial.

B: had outrageous expectations about how they thought the experience was going to go.

--

So fellow wannabe volunteers, if you've got a cold, or the flu, or covid, they will find out about it, if you've had it in the last 2 weeks. Don't stress just try again later.
If you fall outside the recommended guidelines for the study, you might not get on. Speak to the staff and ask for more information.
Some advice for Flucamp, maybe you could write a handy sheet that explains why you gotta meet certain guidelines... stuff like don't exercise or drink coffee can be confusing..

If you don't succeed, just ask them nicely and maybe if you're lucky you can try again.

B

The experience: You're gonna get poked, and have a lot of blood taken, have nasal swabs stuck so far up your nose you're gonna question reality, and then basically lie around all day.
You can however do some light yoga in your room, so order a mat off Amazon.
It's gonna be cold, so bring an extra hoodie with you, or ask the staff for another blanket.

If you're into gaming, you might wanna bring your own PS4 pad, as the ones there are old.. Some review here complained about the game selection.. Well they have the internet, so log into PS-plus and download a game!

Anyway, I'm bored of typing..

Free money, good times!

My experience at flu camp was great, I thought all the staff were welcoming and helpful also unique in their own way. They would be engaging and professional and helped you feel as comfortable as possible. I will certainly be returning as soon as I can. I had no issues and overall a very positive experience!

Just completed my first 10 night trial experience which overall was a very satisfying and rewarding one.
Completely agree with previous positive comments regarding food, which on the whole is pretty tasty and a good selection which you order the day before via a dedicated app. A variety of snacks are provided in between meals, such as decaf teas & coffee, juice, bottled water, fruit on request, etc. Anna - if you're reading this then thank you for the oat milk and keeping my belly very full :)
The en-suite room (similar to a hotel) was comfortable, complete with wardrobe, sink area, hairdryer, fridge, kettle, TV, Playstation, superfast Wi-Fi and a desk that allowed me to continue working uninterrupted.
There were too many staff to mention, but all were friendly, helpful, and always on call for your every need. Keep up the good work Brian and team :)
What I would say, is remember this is a paid clinical trial and you are volunteering for medical research to help save lives. It is not a holiday!!!
Will there be general noise in the corridors as staff perform their duties? Yes of course. Will you be interrupted at unsociable hours for uncomfortable tests and procedures? Yes of course. Will there be the odd food item you may not enjoy? Yes of course. Will you be excluded (at any time) if you ignore all the dietary and lifestyle restrictions prior to and during the trial? Yes quite probably!
From talking to staff the trials do vary, with some being less intensive and invasive where you will have lots of downtime. Others, such as the one just completed, are more involved with stricter parameters. For example only 16 volunteers (out of 23) made it through the initial 2 day quarantine period and started the actual trial.
Collection of blood samples and study drug dosing were particularly high for this trial, with bloods generally taken every morning and evening, and 2 intensive days with constant samples taken via cannula over an 18 hour period until the early hours. Add to that the swallowing of over 15 study drug/placebo capsules each day, twice daily nasal swabs, ECG, symptoms forms, vitals checks, doctor visits, plus flu symptoms from the virus if you're unlucky, you will be kept busy!
To avoid disappointment and manage expectations, I would advise keeping an open mind about the whole process. Don't assume anything is guaranteed (even if you get to the trail stage), be flexible and just be grateful if you're fortunate enough to get accepted. These new drugs will help treat vulnerable patients, hopefully preventing life threatening complications. What matters is the good cause!
I wish you all good luck, and if you have found anything above useful then please do use the
Referral Code 975280 during signup. Thanks:)

First trial with FluCamp as an asthma patient

Spent 15 days at FluCamp's quarantine facility and overall found the experience to be very pleasant, with super friendly and helpful staff (wish I could remember names of them)!

The food was great, with plenty of snacks available and quick response from staff if needing assistance through the call switch next to my bed. It feels great to have contributed to clinical research and certainly had no issues up to now with the trial drug/medicine that I was on the study for.

The compensation for taking part in the trial was well worth it, even if I had to take annual leave through work! :)

Certainly would be happy to take part in a trial again in future and have already passed on my ID for referral to friends who are interested in taking part after hearing about my positive experience at FluCamp.

Thank you!

The staff were amazing. The food good and the snacks never ending. Cannot complain