Thank you to our amazing volunteers

I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to the HRA’s amazing volunteers.

Whether you’re a Research Ethics Committee member, a member of the Confidentiality Advisory Group, or sit on the Generic Document Review Committee, without your time, generosity and dedication, we simply couldn’t do what we do.

You make a real difference to health and social care research by protecting the dignity, rights and safety of research participants, which in turn helps facilitate ethical research and provides enormous benefits for patients.

Our volunteers are such an important part of HRA and I’m extremely proud to work with them.

For Volunteers’ Week I would like to express my deep thanks to our incredible volunteers - our Research Ethics Committee, Confidentiality Advisory Group and Generic Document Review Committee members.

Your role is fundamental to the work we do at the HRA, and I never stop being amazed by the thousands of applications that you review every year.

I’m also proud of your dedication and commitment to the role and the way you carry out your work so efficiently and diligently, which helps ensure research is easy to do and ethical for the people taking part.

Your contribution to the HRA, the NHS and our communities is invaluable. Thank you for making a real difference

I have a deep-seated gratitude and admiration for our volunteers, which have grown over the years I have worked with RECs, and I’m consistently impressed by the expertise, drive and commitment those members bring. It reflects what we see across all our volunteers - we ask a great deal of them, on behalf of many beneficiaries of their work, and they don't let us down.

None of our volunteers take their work and responsibilities lightly. They could choose to give their time and energy to many other causes, but they choose to contribute to our work and that is something we must not take for granted.

Whilst I’ve worked with our Research Ethics Committees for over 17 years, in the last 8 years I’ve also had the privilege to lead the staff team who work with our Confidentiality Advisory Group (CAG) which is a unique and highly specialised function that is critical to the protection of people's confidential information. The CAG supports decision-making by HRA and the Secretary of State, that has real, large-scale impact.

CAG members also play a vital role in helping us shape policy on data and confidentiality and through constructive dialogue help us engage with and respond to the wider system.

What stands out to me about CAG, as with other volunteer groups, is how collaborative they are, both with each other and with our staff. They bring a thoughtful, constructive approach, support the development of our staff, and help make our work both impactful and genuinely enjoyable.

What inspires me most about our volunteers is their commitment. They give their time generously and bring perspectives shaped by a wide range of experiences, and that combination has real impact. It’s something I never take for granted.

I’m often struck by the depth of expertise across our almost 1,000 volunteers, alongside the care and professionalism they show in everything they do. We ask a lot of our volunteers, and they meet that responsibility in a way that genuinely stands out.

In my time with the HRA, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many of our REC members, and what’s clear is the strong sense of responsibility they bring to their role. They approach it with thought and integrity, choosing to support this work and ensure that proposed research is ethical, and that the safety, dignity and rights of participants are protected. They play a vital role in maintaining public trust in the research we support.

Their reviews are careful, balanced and grounded in sound judgement. They help ensure research meets high ethical standards, while also enabling important studies to move forward and deliver real benefits to patients and the wider public.

What I particularly value is how they work together. There’s a strong sense of collaboration - within committees and with our teams - where insight, constructive challenge and support are all part of the conversation. That way of working strengthens the quality of our decisions and helps create an environment that’s truly rewarding to be part of.

It has been 25 years since the formation of the predecessor of CAG. Over the course of these 25 years, the work of the CAG and its predecessors would not have been possible without the expertise and devotion of our volunteers. Each past and present member have their individual commitments and circumstances, but all have willingly given their time to public service to enable the safe use of identifiable patient information for activities that are in the public interest.

Most importantly the volunteers have also enshrined public trust in the use of this data by ensuring patients are involved and informed in any use of identifiable patient information.

This work of the CAG continues, and our current volunteers remain the backbone where the use of data is rapidly evolving. We remain grateful for their dedication and clarity of thought in an ever-changing world.

What started as a job to pay the rent soon became something much more—nearly thirty years later, I’m still here for one simple reason: our amazing members.

I came for experience in healthcare research, but I stayed because of the extraordinary people whose dedication never fails to inspire me.

Our members are, quite simply, extraordinary—balancing busy lives while giving their time and expertise to support better health and social care.

This work isn’t just about processes and policies—it’s about people, connection, and a shared commitment to making a difference.”

I’m proud of the service we’ve built—but even more proud of the kindness, integrity, and dedication of the people behind it.”

At the heart of everything we do are people who genuinely care—and that’s what has kept me here, inspired, for nearly three decades.”

Thirty years on, what still stands out is not just the work we do, but the remarkable people who make it possible.

HRA’s volunteers on Research Ethics Committees and advisory groups play a unique and vital role; they bring independent expertise and public perspective to ensure research is ethical, transparent and centred on the participants themselves.

This complements the MHRA’s role as regulator, and together helps us maintain public trust and enable high-quality research. During Volunteers’ Week, I want to thank them for their continued commitment and contribution to the UK’s clinical research system.