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HRA Latest - November 2023 |
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Welcome to HRA Latest with news and updates for those working or involved in health and social care research.
This month, I’m delighted to share the results of our new national survey on what people think about health and social care research.
We commissioned the survey to better understand what earns people’s trust in research, and the results will steer our work in the coming months.
Last week we were pleased to hear that the government has fully accepted the recommendations in Lord O'Shaughnessy’s review of UK commercial clinical trials. Read on for what it means for us.
Finally, we’re proud to share the progress we’ve made so far, and what we still have planned, since we launched our three-year strategy; Making it easy to do research that people can trust.
As always, for regular updates and the latest news, you can follow us on X @HRA_Latest.
Matt Westmore
Chief Executive
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 Strong support for diversity in research
We've published the results of a new national survey, which has found strong public support for diversity in health and social care research.
The survey, conducted by YouGov, found that nine in ten (88%) people think a diverse mix of participants in health and social care research is important, even if it means that the research takes more time and costs more money.
Responding to Lord O'Shaughnessy's review
We welcomed the government's full response to Lord O’Shaughnessy’s independent review into commercial clinical trials in the UK.
The response sets out plans to make the UK one of the best places in the world for clinical trials.
It follows commitments made earlier this year, which have been backed up with investment, including £3 million to the HRA.
How we’re making it easy to do research you can trust
We’re sharing our progress so far and what’s still to come. As we look ahead to the next 18 months, we're very excited for what we have planned.
Introducing the hallmarks of people-centred clinical research
We've developed new principles and hallmarks to encourage more people-centred research.
The nine hallmarks were co-created with members of the public, the research community and the University of Lincoln to improve how clinical research happens for the people taking part.
We’re encouraging the research community to use them to help put people first.
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Annual report for Research Ethics Committees
Our Research Ethics Committees review almost 6000 studies every single year.
We’ve published a new report which highlights what our committees achieved between April 2022 and March 2023, and how the Research Ethics Service helps to make it easy to do research that people can trust.
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 Moving to NIHR Learn
We're moving to NIHR Learn to better support researchers and members of our Confidentiality Advisory Group, Public Involvement Network and Research Ethics Committees.
NIHR Learn is an accessible online learning platform that is already well used in the research community, and this collaboration brings together the learning from the HRA and the NIHR into one place.
 Changes to the Confidentiality Advisory Group (CAG) meeting guidance and mainline
From 18 January 2024, applicants seeking Section 251 support for the use of confidential patient data without consent will be expected to attend the CAG meeting at which their application is being discussed. This is in line with recommendations made in the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Goldacre review.
Separately we’re closing the CAG phone number from 29 December 2023. All CAG meeting bookings and any queries should now be made by email to cag@hra.nhs.uk.
 Blog: Can we make it easier for people to hear about research that is relevant to them?
We’ve been working with patients, members of the public, researchers and health and care organisations to find out if the laws or rules need changing around how researchers contact people about research that is relevant to them.
Dr Janet Messer, our Director of Approvals, blogs about the principles we've developed to guide our recommendations.
 News from across UK research
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