Research governance system
The research governance and ethical review system has undergone reform in recent years. These reforms have focussed on improving the system from a biomedical perspective and have concentrated on improving co-ordination and consistency in processes. While these reforms are welcome there is much that could still be done to improve the system from a HSR perspective, in particular, by making the system more proportional to levels of risk.
Publications
As part of HSRN's programme of work looking at this issue, we commissioned Mary Dixon-Woods and Karen Yeung to write this viewpoint to help us understand and provide some questioning of how the current system operates.
The research governance and ethics system has undergone substantial reform in recent years. To help health services researchers get to grips with this new landscape and offer help in navigating it, we produced The new research governance landscape briefing for members.
Research governance seminar, 30 Oct, Manchester
The Health Services Research Network (HSRN), The Society for Social Medicine (SSM) and The Society for the Study of Organising for Healthcare (SHOC) jointly sponsored this seminar to explore ways to improve the research governance and ethics system from the perspective of non clinical health services research.
The notes and actions from the meeting are available to download. Presentations on the day included:
Janet Wisely, Director, NRES
Sue Bourne, UKCRC
Ruth Boaden, what is not research
HSRN ethics working group
To take forward the ideas generated in the October seminar, we have established an ethics working group. Working with the NRES, this group met for the first time on 10 June, 2010. Over the coming months the group will be working to:
- improve communication and feedback channels with NRES
- identify common issues health services researchers encounter with RECs
- influence guidelines produced by NRES for RECs
- work with NRES on their REC training programme.
For more information on this group, please contact hsrn@nhsconfed.org