Research Governance

Making sure you meet the requirements

Our pdf flowchart illustrates the pathway for R&D approval

All research carried out in the NHS needs to have research governance approval. This involves all projects which recruit NHS patients and/or staff or which use NHS facilities.

The R&D approvals process has been put in place to protect both the participants and the investigators. It therefore needs to be a robust process and this is why we require lots of information.

NUH will provide a framework for research which complies with good clinical practice, without restricting the freedom of individual researchers to develop ideas which can improve clinical care.

An expert team of professional governance staff, with direct research experience, will engage with investigators in the Trust to develop a culture of support and mentorship. A structured risk assessment approach will be adopted in order to identify key issues very early in the project lifecycle in order to minimise bureaucratic delays. As part of the approvals of research submissions procedure, all projects will be processed within a median period of 30 days of their valid submission and we will conduct regular audit of each stage of the research approval process

Our pathway slideshow illustrates the key steps in a project's lifecycle

To help guide you through the complexities we have produced a flowchart, a presentation of the key steps of a project lifecycle as well as protocol templates for different types studies. This covers most types of studies but, if you have any problems, please get in touch with us. We appreciate it is not always a straightforward system but that is why our experienced staff are here to help.

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us