 Contents
1. Join us for Make it Public Week
2. Head of Public Involvement vacancy
3. Changes to the Approvals Support and Improvement Team
4.REC member survey 2023 – coming soon
5. Recollections of 25 years’ service
6. 30 years in research ethics – a blog by Stephanie Ellis, Hampstead Research Ethics Committee Chair
7. Requests to co-opt to different RECs (England and Wales)
8. Improved PDF format for CTIMP application forms
9. REC Member Expenses - Annual REC Networking Event (England only)
10. Reimbursement for phone call charges (England only)
11. Guidance from the National Data Guardian - Evaluating public benefit when health and adult social care data is used for purposes beyond individual care
12. Documents which have been approved by the Generic Review Committee
1. Join us for Make it Public Week
On Monday 20 March we are launching Make It Public Week – the first ever dedicated week to research transparency.
Throughout the week we have a number of online sessions planned, from seminars and panel discussions, to practical workshops of a range of topics.
We would love for you to join us at these sessions and share your ideas for how we can all work together to improve transparency in research.
The events planned for the week are:
Please register for these events on Eventbrite before Friday 17 March 2023.
If you'd like further information or if you have thoughts or questions about what is important to do, to change, or to prioritise to achieve success, then please contact the engagement team.
2. Head of Public Involvement Vacancy
Public involvement is something that is very important to the HRA. It is at the heart of what we do and underpins all of our work. We’re really pleased to share with you that we’re in the process of recruiting a Head of Public Involvement to help us strengthen our work in this area.
This role will oversee the work of our brilliant public involvement team and will help us support our commitment to involve the public in health and social care research in a meaningful way.
We’re looking for someone with a passion for public involvement, and a wealth of experience in involving the public in their work. Applicants do not need to have previously worked in the health and social care research sector. We’re interested to hear from anyone with relevant experience. The role can be home-based or based from our Newcastle, Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol or London offices.
Do you know anyone who you think might fit the bill? Find out more about the role and how to apply here. Please feel free to share among your colleagues and networks.
3. Changes to the Approvals Support and Improvement Team (England only)
The HRA’s Approvals Support and Improvement team is changing. We’re looking at our processes and our people so that we have more capacity to support you and our REC members.
To prioritise the recruitment and retention of REC members and place it at the very heart of what we do, we are dividing the member support team into two teams. One team will be dedicated to the recruitment of new members and REC Officers, and the other team will be dedicated to supporting and developing members and officers, as well as helping to retain them. This change means we can be more responsive to our members’ needs.
The new structure means that we have changed some of the roles in the team, which we have managed through the HRA’s Organisational Change Process. Unfortunately, as a result of this process some staff will be leaving the team. We are supporting them through the change and would like to ask for your continued support and sensitivity during the period of transition. The new structure comes in effect on 1 April 2023.
More generally, we are also working to improve our IT systems so that we have more time to talk to and support our REC Officers and members. We’d like to make some of our processes simpler, for example by putting appointment documents and terms and conditions of membership on the Member Portal, and helping you access your training account in the same way, so that you can add your learning easily and keep a track of how much training you have completed. There’s still work to do before we can roll out these changes, but we wanted to let you know that we’re committed to providing the very best support for you.
We will share team members’ details with you as soon as possible, noting that there are some vacancies that we will be recruiting to shortly. Please be assured that our support for you between now and the new team structure starting will not be impacted negatively. Please contact Reshma Raycoba, Head of Approvals Support and Improvement (Reshma.Raycoba@hra.nhs.uk) or Louise Braley, Membership Development Manager (Louise.Braley@hra.nhs.uk) if you have any issues or questions.
4. REC member survey 2023 – coming soon
Next month the HRA will be circulating a short survey, to learn more about your experiences as a REC member or officer over the past year.
The last few years have been challenging and we want to start by thanking you all for your continued support and for giving your time freely to protect research participants and facilitate ethical research
This year, our top priority is recruiting REC members, along with ensuring that we retain our existing members, by making the role a beneficial and worthwhile one.
We want to continue to develop meaningful initiatives to help recruit and retain our valued members and know that we cannot do this without your feedback. We want to hear your thoughts on:
- what you feel we could do to further support our REC members and officers
- how we can improve the volunteering experience
- how we can encourage you to stay with us for as long as you can
If you have any questions about the survey which will be circulated next month, please contact the team
5. Recollections of 25 years’ service
This month Chrissie Lawson (Vice-Chair of Surrey REC) reflects on 25 years as a REC member, Chair, and Vice-Chair. We are extremely grateful for the tremendous contribution which Chrissie has given over such a significant period of time. This has helped to ensure that health and social care research in the UK is of high quality and ethical.
A message from Chrissie:
‘Changes in the 25 years since I first joined a committee have facilitated a wider range of applications and a more streamlined and sophisticated service.
- The availability of HRA experts for both committees and applicants has improved the quality of the research process. Research projects are generally easier to read and understand
- HRA resources and training have enhanced the committees’ knowledge base, making them more competent to examine applications
- The quality of participant facing documents has improved. The patient information sheet and consent form are fuller, giving the participant much more information and protection. Participants are now seen as people, not just a tool for research
- The growing use of Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) has a positive influence on research, although many researchers are unsure about it. PPI members are more aware of their rights and are confident to play a significant role in directing research from the participant’s point of view
- The range of research has widened from purely medical to include nursing practice, social care, patients’ views on their care and the increasing use of technology in care
- I have participated in the interview process for new members and am delighted to see people from diverse backgrounds joining committees'
6. 30 years in research ethics – a blog by Stephanie Ellis, Hampstead Research Ethics Committee Chair
Stephanie Ellis (Chair of Hampstead REC) also recently published a blog for the HRA website reflecting on an incredible 30 years in research ethics.
Thank you for your fantastic support and contribution Stephanie!
6. Requests to co-opt to different RECs (England and Wales)
Over the last 12 months, there has been a significant increase in the number of co-option requests (requests for members to attend meetings of different RECs due to low attendance, risking meetings not being quorate). As part of exploring the reasons for this and following feedback received regarding the co-option process, we will be testing some changes to see if we can make improvements for all involved. Feedback from some REC members told us that they were receiving numerous requests to co-opt to different RECs very frequently and this often meant that they were unable to help.
We are very aware that you give a lot of time and support to the HRA as a member of a REC and we are trying to lessen the number of co-option requests you receive.
We are asking all REC members in England and Wales who had not previously offered to be on the list of members willing to be co-opted if they would like to be added to the co-option list. Being added to the list means that you will be contacted to be asked to help attend REC meetings which are at risk of not going ahead due to low numbers of members attending. Those of you who are already on the co-option list were contacted in January and the HRA is extremely grateful for you continued support in covering REC meetings, often, at short notice.
If you are asked to co-opt to a REC meeting before mid-March, you will also be given the opportunity to feedback on how you were contacted and the process. This feedback will help us to establish what works most effectively for members so that we can work in the best way for everyone. As part of updating our list of members who are willing to be co-opted, you might notice that we ask you some more information about your availability, what studies you can review, or how much time you need to prepare for a meeting. This will enable us to tailor our requests, avoid duplicated requests and ensure that we’re not contacting the same members too frequently. If you are co-opted and attend a different REC meeting this will also count towards your annual meeting attendance
Our Support Team Specialist, Keith Haylock, who previously supported the Fast Track REC, will be the point of contact and can be contacted via keith.haylock@hra.nhs.uk or 0207 104 8165.
If you wish to be added to the list of members willing to be contacted to help co-opt to different REC meetings, or if you have any comments or questions, please get in touch with Keith.
7. Improved PDF format for CTIMP application forms
REC members reviewing Clinical Trials of Investigational Medicinal Products (CTIMPs) have provided feedback over the last year that the REC Application Form pdf, produced by the new IRAS system, was difficult to use. In November, we made improvements to the format. The CTIMP application forms should now be easier to read as the applicant’s responses are displayed in a larger font size.
We are sorry it has taken a while to resolve this and thank you for your patience.
8. REC member expenses - annual REC networking event (England only)
We hope that you will take the opportunity to meet with your REC members socially for a meal following the communications circulated at the end of last year. As a reminder, there is a contribution of £25 towards a meal for each person available for this. When submitting your expenses, please select ‘Annual REC Networking Event’ as the expense type. Everyone must claim their contribution individually. This helps to demonstrate financial transparency when we process the expenses. You must have a receipt when you make a claim so we can pay your expenses tax free. We don’t need an individual receipt per person though, a photo of the main receipt is all you need to make the claim.
The contribution is within budgets for this financial year, so please arrange your meal and claim expenses by 31 March 2023. For 2023/24, you can choose to have this annual meal at any time of the year from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.
We’ve answered some questions below, but if you have any other queries, please do not hesitate to contact us on member.support@hra.nhs.uk or Reshma.raycoba@hra.nhs.uk
Thank you all again for your incredible support.
- Do we have to have a meal? Can we use this contribution for something else?
It can only be used towards one meal for which a receipt can be provided. It’s a contribution to engagement and relationship building in your committee.
- Can members of HRA staff that work with our committees join the events?
We know that a number of RECs have asked about HRA staff attending. However, our paid staff are allocated to more than one REC which is not always local to them. This and the current financial situation mean there is not a budget for staff to attend.
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Can one person pay for the whole meal and claim the £25 on behalf of all the people who attend?
Everyone must claim their contribution individually. This helps to demonstrate financial transparency when we process the expenses. You must have a receipt when you make a claim so we can pay your expenses tax free. We don’t need an individual receipt per person though, a photo of the main receipt is all you need to make the claim.
- Is there support available in using the expenses system?
You’ve told us that the expenses system is not always easy to use. The member support team is able to help, please don’t struggle on if you find you’re having issues, contact them immediately on member.support@hra.nhs.uk and someone will arrange a call with you.
We’re also working with our finance colleagues to look at how we can support you to use the system more effectively, for example by providing video guides and further training.
if you need any help submitting your expenses, please contact our member support team via member.support@hra.nhs.uk
9. Reimbursement for phone call charges (England only)
As mentioned in the December edition of the REC Member Information Exchange, an updated version of the HRA REC Member Expenses policy has been published on the HRA website.
For members submitting claims for call charges, please note that the HRA can only reimburse additional phone call charges enabling attendance at meetings at a rate of 16p/min where members are on a pay as you go tariff. All claims should be submitted via EASY, with appropriate evidence of the pay as you go tariff status, and length of the call attached.
10. Guidance from the National Data Guardian - Evaluating public benefit when health and adult social care data is used for purposes beyond individual care
In December, the National Data Guardian released some guidance on what constitutes public benefit and also produced a blog to run alongside this. The guidance includes considerations regarding transparency, commercial use of data, and public engagement which you might find interesting to read:
Reading these documents can also be recorded as Self-Directed Learning (one learning credit) which counts towards your annual learning requirement.
11. Documents which have been approved by the Generic Review Committee
Clinical trials units often undertake general, non-trial specific, advertising and screening procedures to recruit potential trial participants, before inviting them to participate in a specific trial. It is expected that applicants share any proposed generic materials with the REC before they are used in recruitment as a matter of best practice.
To ensure consistency, all generic recruitment materials are reviewed centrally by the Generic Document Review Committee.
This committee comprises three experienced members and former members of RECs.
Where documents approved by the Generic Review Committee are referred to in study specific applications or amendments, these documents do not need to be included with the documentation submitted for REC review. RECs reviewing these submissions may request to see copies of generic documents where this would help with the main ethics review however, these must be requested from the member of staff supporting your REC rather than being requested from the applicant or sponsor. RECs should also not routinely request changes to the content of documents which have already been approved by the Generic Review Committee unless there is a particular reason why a change needs to be made in the context of the specific trial.
If you have any questions regarding the Generic Review Committee, please contact phase1.advertreview@hra.nhs.uk
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