Research involving ionising radiation in the UK is changing in the coming months. Radiation Assurance will be the way that all studies taking place in NHS and HSC secondary care settings get their Medical Physics Expert (MPE) and Clinical Radiation Expert (CRE) reviews completed.
In the first of a set of changes, our Radiation Assurance service will be expanding to accept all study types involving ionising radiation taking place in NHS/HSC secondary care settings, from 1 November 2021. To prepare for this, MPE and CRE reviewers are encouraged to register with the HRA so they can continue to provide reviews, and sponsors and applicants will be advised to submit via the Radiation Assurance service wherever possible.
These developments are part of the wider improvement programme for IRAS, where we are creating a new ionising radiation module that will standardise the approval process and streamline the set up and management of all studies involving these research exposures.
CTIMP sponsors and applicants using our combined review service will be among the first to benefit from the new module, which will be used by applicants of studies taking place in both NHS and non-NHS settings.
More details about the introduction of the ionising radiation module will be shared soon and we will be keeping all applicants, sponsors, MPE and CRE reviewers and NHS/HSC trusts updated, providing advice and support about what they need to do to prepare for the changes.
For further information visit our webpage