|
Welcome to the March edition of HRA Latest, with news and updates for everyone working or involved in health and social care research.
This month, you can read more about the work we've been doing to support more inclusive clinical research in the UK and how this benefits everyone.
One of our Research Ethics Committee members shares how she’s working to bridge the gap to help more people from ethnic minority backgrounds feel confident about taking part in research.
And I'm also very pleased to be able to introduce you to our new Board members.
As always thank you for reading HRA Latest.
For the latest news from the HRA, you can follow us on LinkedIn or sign up for updates on specific topics you're interested in.
Matt Westmore
Chief Executive
|
 Blog: inclusivity in clinical trials
One of the guiding principles of the HRA is to 'include'. When research is done with and for everyone, we can all benefit from the research findings.
This is why we are encouraging researchers to improve the diversity of participants in their clinical trials.
Naho Yamazaki, our Deputy Director of Policy and Partnerships, has written a blog about the HRA's role in supporting more inclusive clinical research, which includes an update on our work with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to develop inclusion and diversity guidance.
 My first year as a REC member
Our Research Ethics Service is provided by our fantastic Research Ethics Committee (REC) members, who volunteer their time to review applications for health research. Last year alone, our members reviewed almost 4,000 studies.
Yinka Cole is a member of the Cornwall and Plymouth REC, and joined the service a year ago.
We caught up with her to find out her first impressions of being a REC member, what inspired her to join and what it’s like to have a say in whether research is given ethical approval.
 New appointments to the HRA Board
We are delighted to announce that three new Non-Executive Directors, Professor Alastair Denniston, Professor Marian Knight MBE and Mark Buswell have joined our Board, alongside the appointment of Neelam Patel as our Interim Chair.
Alastair, Marian and Mark have been appointed for an initial three year term which will end in February 2028.
Neelam is currently a Non-Executive Director on our Board and will serve as Interim Chair whilst we recruit a permanent Chair.
 Our response to the Good Clinical Practice consultation
We have responded to a consultation on a revision to the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) E6 (R3) Good Clinical Practice (GCP).
ICH GCP is an internationally recognised ethical and scientific standard that should be followed when designing, conducting, recording and reporting clinical trials that involve people.
In our response to the consultation, we highlight the importance of public involvement in the design and delivery of clinical trials.
 Celebrating the third anniversary of the Shared Commitment
Monday 10 March is the third anniversary of the launch of the Shared Commitment to Public Involvement.
We launched the Shared Commitment in 2022 with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and other leading health and social care organisations to promote and encourage public involvement across the research sector.
To mark the third anniversary, Matt Westmore, HRA Chief Executive, has written a blog about our key public involvement activities and achievements over the past year.
 UK Clinical Trials Regulations progress
The proposed changes to the UK Clinical Trials Regulations were approved in the House of Commons and House of Lords last month.
The changes have now been shared with the Northern Ireland Assembly, and if approved, the 12 month implementation process will begin. This would see the new regulations coming into force in early 2026.
As part of our wider work to update the UK clinical trials regulations, we have been working with the MHRA to develop:
- guidance to accompany the new regulations
- simplified means of seeking and recording consent
- new guidance for public involvement
- inclusion and diversity guidance
You can read more about this in our latest Clinical Trials update.
 Updates in brief
In this section we share some of the updates made to the guidance and advice on our website over the past few weeks:
|
