Professor Sir John Tooke PMedSci, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, responded to today’s announcement about funding for the HRA Assessment and Approval process:
“I am delighted that the Department of Health has approved the Health Research Authority’s proposal to bring together the separate research ethics committee and NHS Trust approvals for health research. The new HRA Assessment and Approval process should reduce the delays and duplications in obtaining research permissions and therefore benefit UK research and ultimately patients. This should address the major recommendation to streamline the NHS research governance pathway in the Academy’s 2011 report on the regulation and governance of health research.”