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Revised Governance Arrangements for Research Ethics Committees implemented
17th September 2018
Revised Governance Arrangements for Research Ethics Committees have been implemented today by the Health Research Authority and the UK health departments in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The updated policy document replaces the 2011 version from 17 September 2018, and the majority of changes have been made to take account of legal, policy and operational developments in the intervening time.
In addition, following a public consultation by the Human Tissue Authority, research involving human DNA extracted from acellular material, which previously did not require REC review, is now included in GAfREC for the first time.
Juliet Tizzard, Director of Policy at the Health Research Authority said:
"Robust ethical review is at the cornerstone of our work to protect and promote the interests of patients and the public in health and social care research, and GAfREC provides the framework to ensure that this is effective."
Organisations who still have questions about how the new arrangements will affect them should contact hra.queries@nhs.net.
