Submitting for REC and R&D Approval

Submitting to an NHS Research Ethics Committee (REC)

IRAS contains a checklist of documents required for approval from RECs. Once you have completed your application form and have all your supporting documents ready you will need to book your application in to a committee for review. If you are applying to conduct your project across more than one Strategic Health Authority (SHA) you will need to book your submission through the NRES central allocation system. If you are applying to conduct your project within a single SHA Area, you can apply to any REC within that area. Most RECs hold meetings monthly, however meetings across the SHA are usually staggered so you should find one that suits your timelines. The East of England also runs a central booking system for applying to a REC in the East of England.

Once you have booked in your application you will need to add the REC Reference Number onto the REC form in IRAS. You can then submit electronically. You will also need to print off a hard copy for signing. IRAS gives full details of this process.

Further details can be obtained from your local REC or on the National Research Ethics Service Website.
 

Submitting for NHS Permission (R&D Approval)

NHS Permission (also known as R&D or Research Governance Approval) must be obtained from the NHS organisation hosting the research (for independent contracts such as GPs and Pharmacies this will be the local PCT).

The R&D Office at NHS Norfolk facilitates obtaining NHS Permission for the following organisations:

• NHS Norfolk,
• Norfolk Community Health & Care (NCH&C),
• NHS Suffolk,
• Suffolk Community Healthcare,
• NHS Great Yarmouth & Waveney and
• NHS Great Yarmouth & Waveney Community Services.

Contact details for the R&D offices for other Norfolk & Suffolk Trusts are on the local contacts page, contact details for other Trusts can be found on the NHS R&D forum.

To apply for NHS Permission, you will need to complete and submit an R&D application form and one SSI form for each site participating in the study – for advice on this please contact the R&D office or visit the IRAS website.

The submission process for your application will vary slightly depending on whether your study is eligible for the national portfolio or not. The next pages will give you guidance on the submission process for both national portfolio studies and for non-portfolio studies.