Honorary Research Contracts / Letters of Access

An honorary contract or Letter of Access with the host Trust is required for all researchers and members of their research team (with the exception of commercially employed researchers¹) where:

• Researchers are not contracted to work for the Trust which is hosting the research and
• The research involves interaction with Trust patients or staff, or access to Trust or patient samples, data or facilities.

Note – for Independent contractors (GPs, Dentists, Pharmacies) the host Trust will be the PCT.

Research in the NHS – HR Good Practice Resource Pack

The DH in conjunction with the UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) and other stakeholder organisations have developed the Research In the NHS - HR Good Practice Resource Pack which offers a standard approach to the issuing of NHS Honorary Research Contracts (HRCs) and Letters of Access (LOAs) and has been adopted nationally.

The Research in the NHS – HR Good Practice Resource Pack consists of:

• A Research Passport system for researchers from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) who need to undertake their research within NHS organisations;
• Standardised procedures for issuing HRCs or LoAs, in line with the nature of the researchers’ activity, and the NHS and / or employer’s responsibility for that activity. This will ensure that the NHS does not take on inappropriate liability for activities for which it is not responsible.
• Standardised procedures for handling HR arrangements for NHS and HEI researchers who need to work across one or more NHS organisations
• The Research Passport system and associated procedures have been developed in parallel with national arrangements for obtaining permission from NHS organisations to undertake research.

The Research in the NHS – HR Good Practice Resource Pack takes into account the National Vetting & Barring Scheme and any vetting and barring checks will be carried out in accordance with national guidelines.

Application Process

For researchers applying for a Letter of Access of Honorary Research Contract for any of the following Trusts:

• NHS Norfolk
• NHS Suffolk
• NHS Great Yarmouth & Waveney
• Great Yarmouth & Waveney Community Services
• Norfolk Community Health & care
• Suffolk Community Healthcare

HRCs or LOAs will be issued in line with the national Research in the NHS – HR Good Practice Resource Pack. Applications must be made through the Research Passport system (for HEI researchers) or the NHS Proforma (for NHS researchers) and sent to the R&D Office at NHS Norfolk for issuing.

In most cases the HRC or LOA will be project specific and valid for the duration of the project only. If an extension to the duration of the project is required an extension to the HRC / LOA will need to be applied for through the R&D office at NHS Norfolk.

Important Notes

The issuing of a HRC or LOA does not negate the need for researchers to apply for NHS Permission for each research project. HRCs and LOAs are issued subject to NHS permission being granted for each piece of research undertaken within the Trust.

The issuing of an HRC or LOA also does not give researchers the right to access patient identifiable data without explicit patient consent. For further information please see NHS Norfolk Guidance note on access to patient data.

Smartcards

Where research is being hosted by a practice or service using SystemOne AND researchers need access to patient notes (with patient consent) for the purposes of the study, the researcher will need to be issued with a Smartcard. This will be facilitated by the R&D office at NHS Norfolk.