NHS and social care policies and procedures
NHS or Social Services Ethics Committee approval is required for research involving
- patients and users of the NHS or social services
- relatives or carers of patients and users of the NHS or social services
- access to data, organs or other bodily material of past and present NHS patients or social service clients
- foetal material and IVF involving NHS patients
- the recently dead in NHS premises
- the use of, or potential access to, NHS or social service staff - recruited as research participants by virtue of their professional role
All research which involves NHS or social services staff or patients must, in addition to receiving University approval
- comply with the Department of Health Research Governance Framework
- seek approval from an NHS or Social Care Research Ethics Committee
- seek governance opinion from the NHS Researche and Development Office where the research will take place
- seek sponsorship and indemnity cover from the University Research Support Team
- maintain an investigator site file
Sponsorship and Indemnity at Sheffield Hallam for NHS and social care ethics applications
Sheffield Hallam will act as a sponsor for research projects and take on the responsibilities of the sponsor as set out in the Department of Health Research Governance Framework. However, each project is assessed on a case by case basis and must have received approval from the Faculty Research Ethics Committee before a letter of sponsorship and confirmation of professional indemnity cover can be issued.
Research involving Sheffield City Council services, staff and/or service users
If you’re considering doing some research with Sheffield City Council services, staff and/or service users, your research needs to be approved according to the Research Governance Framework for Health and Social Care. Sheffield City Council has recently introduced a research governance approval process which you should use to submit your proposal for approval.
Research, audit or service evaluation?
Not all of the projects undertaken within the NHS are research. Under the Research Governance Framework, projects not classified as research are not managed as research within the NHS. To help you decide if your project is research, please refer to the NHS site.
The NHS clearly make a difference between project research, audit or service evaluation. Projects not classified as research do not require NHS Research Ethics Committee permission for research, but may require other NHS management arrangements. We would recommend seeking the opinion of the NHS Research and Development office where the research will take place.
Applying to the NHS for ethical and/or governance review
Applying to the NHS for ethical and/or governance review The requirements by NHS Research Ethics Committees and other bodies depends on the type of research and where it will take place. The Integrated Research Application System (IRAS) is a single online system for applying for permissions and approvals for health and social care/community research in the UK.
If you have no contractual arrangements with the NHS and will be conducting research in the NHS which has an impact on patient care you will require an NHS Passport. This is part of the governance system but not yet included within the IRAS system. The University process for obtaining a Research Passport is detailed in the attached flowchart.
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