Matt Westmore, Chief Executive
Earlier this week marked an important milestone for health and social care research in the UK, with new clinical trials regulations coming into force. The changes implemented on 28 April strengthen how studies are reviewed and approved, including clearer expectations for the constitution of Research Ethics Committees (RECs). You can read more about these updates by following the links from the homepage on our website.
Whether you’re invited to take part in a research study or are reading about health and social care studies in the news which have been reviewed and approved by a REC, we want you to understand how decisions are made and to feel confident that decisions about research are grounded in both expertise and real-world perspective.
Here at the HRA we’re committed to making it easy to do research that people can trust. Trust is essential to research and a key part of that trust lies in the work of our RECs. These committees are not distant panels of experts, they’re made up of ordinary people, just like you.
So, who are the people who sit on Research Ethics Committees?
Decisions are made by a committee rather than individuals, and it is the range and diversity of experience in these committees which protects participants in health and social care research. We currently have over 900 REC members, including more than 280 lay members who do not have a professional background in research, healthcare or social care. Lay members also contribute to decision-making leadership, holding around a third of REC chair and vice-chair roles.
RECs bring together individuals from a wide range of backgrounds. Alongside clinical and scientific members, many of these people bring experience from outside research and healthcare, playing an equally important role. They might be teachers or parents, working in entirely different fields, or retired from all sorts of roles. What they share is a commitment to ensuring that research is ethical, respectful and designed with participants in mind.
We regularly look at who is involved in our work and where we can do better. Our latest demographic survey of the HRA community published in 2024, showed that many people involved in ethical review bring lived experience shaped by health conditions, caring responsibilities and a range of perspectives. For example, 32% reported a chronic health condition, around 30% had caring responsibilities and 7% identified as neurodivergent.
This diversity is essential. It means that when a study is reviewed, it is not only assessed for scientific quality, but also through the lens of everyday experience. Would participants understand what they are being asked to do? Are the risks clearly explained? Is the study fair and inclusive? These are the kinds of questions that ordinary people are uniquely placed to ask.
The new regulations reinforce this by being explicit about the composition and functioning of RECs, ensuring they remain balanced, independent of sponsors, funders and study teams, and representative. This week we’ve also updated our UK REC Policy Document in line with the new regulations, including changing the name to help make it easier to understand how it guides the essential work that our committees do every day to support high quality health and social care research.
Every health and social care research study reviewed through our processes undergoes careful, robust scrutiny before a decision is made about whether it should go ahead. RECs take their responsibility seriously, considering not only the potential benefits of research, but also the safety, dignity, and rights of participants.
Research only succeeds when people are willing to take part. That willingness depends on trust. By ensuring that RECs include ordinary people, and by being open about how they work, we are helping to build and maintain that trust. And if you think that this sounds like something you would like to get involved in yourself, you’re very welcome to apply to join us.
Good research has integrity, and that integrity starts with people, people like you.