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Your HRA public involvement newsletter

Issue 10, July 2023

A picture of two people talking about public involvement at the launch of the HRA's strategy

Welcome

• Co-chair a working group on the use of health and social care data
• Recruiting the Deputy Director of Policy and Partnerships
• Who sits on Research Ethics Committees - a survey
• NHS at 75
• Respect - what it means to be part of the HRA
• People in Research database
• Introducing… Sue Harrison, Chair of Berkshire B Research Ethics Committee

Get involved in the work of the HRA

In this section you can find out about the different ways of working with us.

Group discussion at the HRA's strategy launch

Co-chair a working group on the use of health and social care data

We’re looking for a member of the public to co-chair a working group on the development of secure data environments for NHS health and social care data.

Secure data environments are data storage and access platforms which uphold the highest standards of privacy and security. The group will explore issues relating to the development of secure data environments when NHS social care data is used for research and analysis.

We anticipate that the group will meet on Zoom every three to six weeks between August and December 2023. During this time, the group will publish guidance and statements on acceptable and consistent approaches to using patient data. We estimate the role will take around a half a day a month, to include preparing for meetings, co-chairing, reading documents and communication over email. We can offer involvement fees of £75 for a half a day.

If you're interested in finding our more about the role or applying you can read more about the role on our website. The deadline for applications is 12pm on Thursday 20 July.

What difference is public involvement making to the HRA's work?

In this section, we aim to respond to one of the questions we're asked the most – how has our work improved things for other people? 

Recruiting the Deputy Director of Policy and Partnerships

We recently appointed our new Deputy Director of Policy and Partnerships, Naho Yamazaki. This role involves a lot of engagement with different stakeholders, so we involved members of the public and a person from one of our partner organisations in the recruitment process.

Becky Purvis, HRA’s Director of Policy and Partnerships, and Su Conquer, a member of the public, share what it was like to work together during this process.

Becky Purvis, HRA's Director of Policy and Partnerships

'Getting the insights and perspective of members of the public was crucial in appointing someone to this role – we were looking for someone who is committed to public involvement and understands how to do it well. 'I found it hugely valuable to have so many different perspectives informing the process and final decision. It has given me great confidence in our decision making because I know that we had robust discussions and worked these through together.'   Su Conquer, a member of the public who supports staff recruitment at the HRA

'I felt well-prepared for the interview day, with wrap-around support from the HRA’s public involvement team. I also felt included and valued as a panel member. The recruitment process had different phases, which made it very thorough and gave the candidates opportunities to impress many people. However, I was only involved towards the end of the recruitment, and I think it would have been valuable for me to see the process from start to finish.'

HRA News

In this section, we share news about some of HRA’s work that we think you may be interested in. You might also enjoy exploring the news and updates section of the HRA website. 

A Research Ethics Committee discusses an application for HRA approval

Who sits on Research Ethics Committees - a survey

A Research Ethics Committee (REC) is an independent group which reviews health and social care research to make sure that studies are ethical and safe for people who take part in them.

In a new survey, we’re asking people for their views on our proposals for Research Ethics Committee membership.

Following the consultation on the clinical trials regulations and the Government's response, we’ve been working with our colleagues across the UK nations on how we categorise people who sit on our RECs and how this could look in the future so that it's clear to understand. We're proposing two categories for REC membership: 'expert' and 'public'. We're also suggesting options for how and when a person's category would change. For example, when an expert member stops working in their field of expertise.

Everyone is welcome to share their thoughts on these proposals, by completing a short survey. There’s some information to read and think about first on our webpage. This explains what the current types of REC members are (lay, lay plus and expert) and includes a summary of results from the public consultation. The survey is open until 12 July.

If you need the information in a different format, please email Charlotte Allen on member.support@hra.nhs.uk.

A banner celebrating 75 years of the NHS, with decorative bunting and the NHS 75 HRA logo in the bottom right

NHS at 75

Happy birthday NHS! Today (5 July), the NHS turns 75 and it’s the perfect time for us to celebrate, pause and reflect on the wonderful work the NHS and its employees, and people who support the NHS, do.

We’d like to take this opportunity to say a very special thank you to all the people who get involved in our work at the HRA.

Whether you’ve been involved in helping us recruit new staff, taken part in meetings and workshops, shared your views through surveys or been involved in our work in other ways, we really value your contribution and the huge difference you make.

No matter how big or small a role you’ve played, we’re so grateful to each and every one of you.

Different pictures of a diverse group of people against a blue background. Decorated with blue, green and white shapes

Respect - what it means to be part of the HRA

We want to make sure everyone who works with and for us is treated with dignity and respect, and is valued for who they are and what they bring to the organisation. This is very important to us and we’re working hard to embed this across the HRA.

As part of this work, we’re really pleased to share with you a new video we’ve produced. It stars some of our amazing staff and a member of the HRA Community Insight Group.

Our ‘Respect – What it means to be part of the HRA’ video summarises the high standards we’ve set ourselves, including how we should treat others and expect to be treated, and the support we have in place to help us meet these standards.

The video reflects the shared principles of our Dignity and Respect Policy for staff – which we told you about in November’s public involvement newsletter – and new Ways of Working guidance. We’ve been developing this guidance with and for members of the Confidentiality Advisory Group, Research Ethics Committees and members of the public who inform and influence our work through public involvement activities. We’ll share this with you soon.

In the meantime, watch the video to find out more about what we’re doing to make sure everyone is respected and valued in the work we do.

Public involvement news from outside the HRA

In this section, we share news of activities organised by other groups or organisations. If you would like to include a news item relating to public involvement in social care or research, please email the public involvement team on public.involvement@hra.nhs.uk.

People in Research database

Attendees networking and discussing ideas at the launch of the HRA's strategy

People in Research is a database of opportunities for members of the public to get involved in research. It is hosted by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). You can scroll through all the opportunities or sort your results by topic, type of involvement or location using the drop-down menus on the NIHR's opportunities webpage.

If you see an opportunity that interests you, click on ‘contact details’ at the end of the opportunity. You'll then be able to view the contact details of the person who can provide you with further information.

If you have questions or feedback, you can email People in Research on PublicPartnerships@nihr.ac.uk.

Do you know?

In this section of the newsletter, we introduce you to our colleagues and the people we work with. The questions and answers below are taken from a recent blog. 

Introducing… Sue Harrison, Chair of Berkshire B Research Ethics Committee

Sue Harrison joined a Research Ethics Committee (REC) in 2011 and became a REC Chair in 2021.

What motivated you to work with the HRA? My route into research ethics began in 2007 after my husband became ill with malignant melanoma. He joined a clinical trial at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. He was treated there until 2010 but died before the study finished. After he passed away, I wanted to know how I could give back. I was working as the head of a trade association, so I had an interesting set of skills, and I was keen to make use of them in some way. The medical team at the Royal Marsden told me to get involved in research ethics. My first response was ‘what is research ethics?’. This was way before the Health Research Authority (HRA) was established, and I had no idea what research ethics was or involved. I was informed that research on humans must go through an ethics committee before it is approved, and that there is legislation in place to safeguard people who take part in research.

What would you like us to know about your work with the HRA?

Being a member is a big commitment. We read lots of documents and hold a meeting every month, where we review research applications. A lead reviewer and second reviewer present the study, and we discuss any ethical issues we believe might arise.

Then we speak to the researchers. We ask them for clarification, then decide our opinion. This goes through to the HRA, which issues approval.

What are the interesting challenges in your work?

The COVID-19 pandemic made an enormous difference to the way we work. Right at the start, our committee began reviewing the React study.

We had to turn around our review in hours instead of days and we have learnt so much from that. Nothing got left out in terms of the thoroughness. It was quite exhilarating because you really felt that you were doing something useful.

If anything in this email is unclear or you have questions, please email the public involvement team on public.involvement@hra.nhs.uk or phone Kat Evans, Public Involvement Officer on 020 7104 8168.