Research Governance Framework For Health and Social Care

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Year
2000

The Government is committed to enhancing the contribution of research to health and social care, and to the partnership between services and science. Research is essential to the successful promotion and protection of health and well-being and to modern and effective health and social care services. At the same time, research can involve an element of risk, both in terms of return on investment and sometimes for the safety and well-being of the research participants. Proper governance of research is therefore essential to ensure that the public can have confidence in, and benefit from, quality research in health and social care. The public has a right to expect high scientific, ethical and financial standards, transparent decision-making processes, clear allocation of responsibilities and robust monitoring arrangements.

This document sets out a framework for the governance of research in health and social care. The standards in this framework apply to all research which relates to the responsibilities of the Secretary of State for Health - that is research concerned with the protection and promotion of public health, research undertaken in or by the Department of Health, its non-Departmental Public Bodies and the NHS, and research undertaken by or within social care services that might have an impact on the quality of those services. This includes clinical and non-clinical research, research undertaken by NHS staff using NHS resources, and research undertaken by industry, the charities, the research councils and universities within the health and social care systems.

The framework is offered as a model for the governance of research in other areas where poor practice could have a direct impact on the health or wellbeing of the public.

Contents include:

  • Purpose and scope
  • Standards: ethics, science, information, health and safety, finance, quality research culture
  • Responsibilities and accountability: agreements, specific responsibilities
  • Delivery systems
  • Monitoring, inspection, and sanctions

You can download this 50 page PDF resource above. This resource is in English.