HRA Latest - April 2023

Health Research Authority sent this bulletin at 27-04-2023 12:43 PM BST

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HRA Latest - April 2023

Welcome to HRA Latest with news and updates for those working or involved in health and social care research.

Professor Matt Westmore, next Chief Executive of the HRA

Earlier this week we brought together 17 leading health and social care organisations who are part of the Shared Commitment to Public Involvement. Our event set priorities for the future of our joint commitment so that we can work together to drive improvements to public involvement in research.

The event came hot on the heels of our new guidance on payment for public involvement in health and social care research.

Also this month, we’re pleased to announce we’ve joined the new NHS Innovation Service, making it easier for healthcare innovators to navigate the research approvals process. Finally, we’re delighted to officially welcome six new members to our Confidentiality Advisory Group.

As always, for regular updates and the latest news, you can follow us on Twitter @HRA_Latest

Matt Westmore
Chief Executive

Matt Westmore and Lucy Chappell with staff from the HRA and NIHR

Leading health bodies reaffirm commitment to public involvement

We joined leading health and social care organisations at a special event held to build on a bold joint pledge to improve public involvement in research.

Our Committing to Change event saw 17 organisations come together to set priorities to deliver on the Shared Commitment to Public Involvement.

The Shared Commitment is a joint pledge that aims to drive up standards by improving the quality of public involvement across the health and social care research sector.

Find out more

Healthcare innovators can now access support from the Health Research Authority through the NHS Innovation Service

HRA joins NHS innovation service

We’re delighted to announce that we’ve become the latest organisation to join the new NHS Innovation Service.

The NHS Innovation Service, which launched earlier this year, provides support for healthcare innovators from the very first stages of an idea, right through to their innovation being adopted.

Our support will make sure that innovators understand the research approvals process and the steps they need to take.

Find out more

Woman sitting at a desk and staring at a computer

HRA launches public involvement pay guidance

We’ve developed new guidance for organisations on how public contributors should be paid for their involvement in health and social care research.

The guidance aims to give organisations the confidence and a clear framework to develop simple and timely payment policies.

It was developed jointly with the National Institute for Health and Care Research and Health and Care Research Wales.

Find out more

New public involvement checklist

We’ve launched a new public involvement checklist to support researchers submitting studies for research ethics review.

The checklist has guidance and information on what Research Ethics Committees (RECs) will be looking for when considering public involvement as part of the ethics review.

Researchers can also use the checklist to review what they write in their applications as well as prepare for their REC meeting.

Find out more

Welcome to our new CAG members

We’ve recruited six new volunteers to provide advice on confidential patient information.

The new volunteers have joined the Confidentiality Advisory Group (CAG). The CAG is an independent body made up of volunteers, which reviews applications for research purposes and provides expert advice on the use of identifiable patient information without consent to the HRA.

The new volunteers come from a range of backgrounds, with experience in health, research and artificial intelligence.

Find out more

Watch again - Make it Public Week

In case you missed Make it Public Week you can now watch back recordings of each of our sessions.

The UK’s first week dedicated to research transparency saw more than 300 experts from across health and social care research come together at webinars, workshops and panel discussions to share best practice on research transparency.

Watch the videos

Blog: My role in research ethics by Taimoor Hassan

Think Ethics is our work to put people and ethics at the heart of health and social care research.

As part of it, we’re sharing stories from people involved in ethics review.

Our latest blog is from HRA approvals administrator Taimoor Hassan who blogs about the support he provides to RECs and why greater diversity in research is essential.

Find out more

News from across UK research

The government has announced new funding to support charity-funded early career researchers. The funding will provide support for over 1,200 PhD students, post-doctoral fellows and those starting out on a career in research, to help them become the innovators of the future
The UK risks losing its position as a life sciences leader unless it establishes a diverse and inclusive clinical trials ecosystem, a new report has found. The report by MedCity, the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust includes recommendations on how the UK can become a leader in diverse and inclusive clinical trials
A new report from the Nuffield Council on Bioethics looks at the role of biomedical research and technological innovations in helping people live well in old age. The report includes recommendations for HRA to support and identify good practice in the inclusion of older people and people with impaired mental capacity in research

HRA Now - operation updates

HRA Now sends you everything you need to know where there are changes to the way we work

Here are some recent updates you may have missed from HRA Now:

Updated template agreements - updates to model Clinical Investigation Agreements (mCIAs), Primary Care model Clinical Trial Agreements (PC-mCTAs) and model Non-Interventional Study Agreements (mNISAs)

Updated commercial model Confidentiality Disclosure Agreement (mCDA) - revision to the model confidentiality disclosure agreement (mCDA) following six month review.

Updated guidance for amendments and the NHS Digital merger with NHS England - updated guidance on implementation of amendments to improve clarity of the guidance following feedback and information on what the NHS Digital merger with NHS England means for studies involving NHS Digital.