Research Governance introduction

What is research, and why does Research Governance affect me?

Research is defined as any work which involves collecting information from, or about, individuals, who may be:

service users.
their friends or relatives.
members of the public.
employees of Salford Community, Health and Social Care directorate.

It includes:

evaluations.
focus groups.
student projects.
surveys.
work in connection with best value and audit.

It may be funded internally or externally. It does not include the routine collection of management information.

What is Research Governance?

It is the means by which the quality of research can be assured. It ensures the rights of those involved can be protected.

The Department of Health have drawn up a number of standards and procedures for anyone involved in research. This is so that organisations:

are aware of what studies are being undertaken.
can ensure public confidence.
can make sure users, carers and staff are protected.
can safeguard researchers' integrity, and ensure compliance with standards.
can take full responsibility for how the work is carried out.

The Department of Health is most concerned about these six main standards categories:

Ethics
Finance
Health and safety
Information
Intellectual property
Science

What does Research Governance mean?

If I am asked to take part in a survey or consultation exercise, you will know:

that you have certain rights.
that you will be told about the results.
that you will have your role in the research fully explained to you, in a clear and understandable way.
the research being carried out is good and necessary, and that it has been fully approved.
who you can make a complaint to, if necessary.

If I want to do my own research, which will involve asking people, who are either service users or members of staff in Salford Community, Health and Social Care directorate, you will need to have your project plan approved by the Research and Information Services team, Community, Health and Social Care directorate.

If your research involves only people from your user group or support group, and does not involve any Salford Community, Health and Social Care directorate staff, or service users, you will not need to make an application to the Research and Statistics section, although it could assist you if you do.

Until now, studies have been carried out haphazardly without the knowledge of any organisations involved.

This has meant that:

often studies have been repeated.
the same participants have been used over and over again.
there have been reported incidents of bad practice.

Going forward, anyone who wants to carry out a piece of research in the adult social care field will need:

to discuss their ideas with their line manager.
put their idea to the Research and Information Services team of the Salford Community, Health and Social Care directorate, by completing a project plan application.
have their project plan approved at the appropriate level.
give details about who will fund the project, and identify which organisation will accept responsibility for the research.

If you want any help about any aspects of your adult social care project, such as how to actually carry out a piece of work, you can contact the Research and Information Services team of the Salford Community, Health and Social Care directorate who have access to a team of qualified researchers to help you.

What is a project plan?

A project plan shows how you will plan and design your research. It basically deals with the following:

how long the research will take.
how the researcher will set about doing that.
what the research is about.
what the researcher is trying to find out or achieve.
what we will learn from the research.
why we need to learn from the research.

It gives you an opportunity to present your ideas and proposed actions. You are helping those responsible for approving your project to:

how it builds on what has been done before.
how it will proceed.
how the idea fills a need or gap.
how you will safeguard against pitfalls.
see how you view the situation.
what significance they are likely to have.
what the study's consequences are likely to be.

You will need to think about ethical issues, especially if your study involves:

covert observation.
in-depth interviews.
involvement of anyone in minority categories e.g. asylum seekers.
involvement of anyone who is unable to give informed and written consent.
involvement of children (under 18 years of age).

There is a requirement in law, under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, for any research undertaken with "any person who lacks a capacity to consent" to first undergo an ethics approval process.

Salford City Council insurance cover may not apply if Ethics Committee approval has not been obtained.

If your study has already had Ethics Committee approval, it will still require checking by the Research and Information Services Team of the Salford Community, Health and Social Care directorate. It may then need to be reviewed by the Research Review Panel.

With your project plan, please submit:

a summary of the discussion topics you are going to use, if using informal interviews or focus groups.
a timetable for your project.
any letters of permission from participating organisations.
copies of the information letter and consent forms, which you propose to send to participants.
copies of any questionnaires.
copies of the questions you are going to ask if you are using formal interviews.

Your project plan will be assessed as to:

its value and feasibility.
the level of approval your project plan needs.
whether you have considered all the necessary points, as laid out in the application form.
whether the plan meets the standards set by the Research Governance Framework.

Once you have submitted your project plan, the Research and Information Services team of the Community, Health and Social Care directorate will decide on which level of approval is required.

Level one and two: up to five days
Level three and four: up to 30 days

If the application falls into level one or level two categories, the Research and Information Services team has a number of expert researchers available to them, who will assess your application.

Level three and four assessment at corporate and external level will be made by both the Research and Information Services Team and the Salford University Research Governance and Ethics Committee.

Ethical approval

Research Governance is aimed at facilitating, rather than hindering, research. Although you may have already obtained ethical approval elsewhere, the Research and Information Services team and Strategic Support sections will need to check that:

the proposed study is not intrusive.
there is no potential risk or harm (either physical, emotional or psychological) to anyone taking part.
there are no serious concerns e.g. methodology, ethics etc.

If there are any concerns regarding the above, your project plan may require approval by the Research Review Panel. This will ensure that the Salford directorates of Community Health and Social Care and Children's Services are fully aware of every aspect of the research, before accepting responsibility.

Once your project plan is approved, it will be registered on a database by the Research and Information Services team of Salford Community, Health and Social Care directorate. You will then be able to proceed. Your study will be monitored throughout by your supervisor. If any serious ethical issues arise, you may need to revise your project plan. If your project plan is not approved, suggestions will be made to help you rewrite the plan.

Monitoring

Your research be monitored by regular reporting of your progress to either your supervisor or line manager or to the Research and Information Services team of the Salford Community, Health and Social Care directorate.

Research is often an evolving process. Things can change on a day-to-day basis, especially when people are involved. Important issues may come up which you had not thought about before. For this reason, your project plan will need to be regularly reviewed, especially if there are serious ethical issues involved. If there are changes to your original project plan, you will need to contact the Research and Information Services Team of the Salford Community, Health and Social Care directorate.

Once your work is completed, you will need to tell people your findings. There may be an issue relating to who actually owns your findings. You may need to discuss this with the Research and Information Services team of the Salford Community, Health and Social Care directorate.

Any further information is available from:

Research and Information Services team
Community, Health and Social Care directorate
Turnpike House
631 Eccles New Road
Salford
M50 1SW

Telephone: 0161 793 2863
Email: chscresearch@salford.gov.uk

This page was last updated on 28 March 2012