Research Ethics Committees are made up of people from different professions and backgrounds to ensure we have a range of experiences contributing to the review and ethical opinion.
RECs review research proposals and give an opinion about whether the research is ethical. They also look at issues such as the participant involvement in the research. The committees are entirely independent of research sponsors (the organisations responsible for the management and conduct of the research), funders and the researchers themselves. This enables them to put participants at the centre of their review.
We currently have designations for REC members to make sure that we have different views and perspectives on each committee.
The current designations of expert, lay and lay plus are changing. This is due to the implementation of the amended clinical trials regulations, which come into effect on 28 April 2026.
Why are the designations changing?
The guidelines state that RECs need to include at least 5 members that collectively have the qualifications and experience to review and evaluate any proposed trial's scientific, medical, and ethical aspects. Each REC must also include one lay member and a Chair.
Therefore, as of 28 April, we will have new designations for REC members to ensure each meeting held by each committee is quorate in line with the regulations.
What are the new designations?
All members will be known as REC members, but there will be 3 specific designations to align with the clinical trial regulations requirements:
Lay
This reflects the new definition for lay in the amended clinical trial regulations. Lay members have no professional health or social care experience or qualifications. They are also not involved in the set up or delivery of health and social care research. They may bring lived or personal experience to the committee, or their profession may be administrative, technical or support roles in the NHS, other healthcare organisations or the research industry.
Some examples are:
- general members of the public
- individuals with science degrees
- NHS staff not involved in clinical care or research delivery, such as administrative or managerial staff, technical and support staff, auditors and healthcare assistants
- managers or administrators in pharmaceutical or research organisations or charities, who are not involved in research delivery
- statisticians with no healthcare research statistics experience
- academic ethicists, sociologists, lawyers or chaplains
- Veterinary Surgeons
Healthcare
Similar to our current expert members, this designation is for individuals who are current, previously registered, or retired UK-registered healthcare professionals from one of the following professions:
- Anaesthesia Associates
- Art Therapists
- Biomedical Scientists
- Chiropodists or Podiatrists
- Chiropractors
- Clinical Scientists
- Dentists
- Dieticians
- Hearing Aid Dispensers
- Medical Doctors
- Midwives
- Nurses
- Occupational Therapists
- Operating Department Practitioners
- Ophthalmic Opticians
- Orthoptists
- Osteopaths
- Paramedics
- Pharmacists
- Physician Associates
- Physiotherapists
- Practitioner Psychologists
- Prosthetists or Orthotists
- Radiographers
- Speech and Language Therapists
Social care
This is exactly the same as healthcare, only applied to UK registered current or retired social care professionals. We have distinguished this from healthcare members as under the new regulations, when the research application is for social care only, the social care professional can replace the healthcare professional to make sure the REC is quorate.
All other members
Some members do not fit into one of the categories above and therefore do not affect meeting quoracy under the new clinical trials regulations. However they will attend meetings to give their valuable personal and professional experience.
These members may work, or have previously worked. in health or social care research, and be involved in its planning or delivery but will not be a UK registered health care professional or registered social worker in England.
Their professional job roles may include:
- Research and Development Managers
- Researchers
- Research Fellows
- Epidemiologists
- current or retired healthcare professionals outside of the UK
- Statisticians with healthcare research experience
REC Chairs
The amended clinical trial regulations also state that RECs must have a chair whose role is to lead the committee meeting. REC Chairs receive specialist training to support them in their role.