Research Governance other research responsibilities.

Researchers and their teams must be aware of and adhere to

DATA PROTECTION ACT - particular attention must be given to systems for ensuring confidentiality of personal information and to the security of those systems.

HEALTH & SAFETY ACT - the safety of participants and of research and other staff must be given priority at all times.

Key references The purpose of this leaflet is to draw your attention to the DoH Research Governance Framework for Health and Social Care (March 2001) and the key responsibilities of all staff involved in research.

For further information
Contact Jo Pearce Research and Development Manager
King Square House
King Square Bristol BS2 8EE Tel: 0117 976 6600
or e-mail: jo.pearce@bristolnorth-pct.nhs.uk

Ethics and Consent
http://www.doh.gov.uk/research/recs
http://www.doh.gov.uk/consent
Data protection
http://www.dataprotection.gov.uk/
Health and Safety
http://www.hse.gov.uk/
Department of Health Research Pages
http://www.doh.gov.uk/research/index.htm

Bristol North Primary Care Trust Bristol South and West Primary Care Trust

What is research? Research can be defined as the attempt to derive generalisable new knowledge by addressing clearly defined questions with systematic and rigorous methods.

What is research governance?

Who does research governance apply to?
The framework applies to everyone involved in research in a health and social care setting no matter how senior or junior

What research does the framework cover?
The framework covers all clinical and non-clinical research that takes place in an NHS or social care setting.

What does the framework do?
The framework describes: Standards for research Responsibilities and accountabilities of everyone involved in the research process. Monitoring and inspection of research

For the full documentation - or contact your local R&D office
www.doh.gov.uk/research/rd1/researchgovernance/researchgovindex.htm

Key responsibilities of researchers

The key responsibilities of all involved in research are:
ETHICS APPROVAL - it is a requirement that all research involving patients, service users, care professionals or volunteers, or their organs tissue or data are reviewed independently to ensure it meets ethical standards. The protocol agreed by the Local Research Ethics Committee must be adhered to and any changes in the protocol submitted for approval by the committee before implementation.
NHS APPROVAL - the NHS organisation in which the research will take place must have given approval for the research to take place before it commences.
INFORMED CONSENT - all studies must have appropriate arrangements for obtaining informed consent and the individual responsible for obtaining consent must be appropriately qualified by training and experience. The research governance framework for health and social care defines the broad principles of good research practice and is key to ensuring that health and social care research is conducted to high scientific and ethical standards. It supports both research and the researcher by reducing unacceptable variations in research practice, promoting good practice and learning from mistakes.