Welcome to HRA Latest with news and updates for those working or involved in health and social care research.
This month, we're pleased to announce we've published our annual report and accounts, which give an overview of our performance and finances over the past 12 months.
We're also sharing the latest update on our work to develop the new Plan and Manage Health and Care Research digital service alongside welcoming new government guidance on the safe use of UK human genomic data.
I am also delighted to introduce our new Non-Executive Director, Shamik Ghosh, to our Board. He brings a wealth of skills and experience in risk, regulation and transformation.
For regular updates and the latest news, you can also follow us on LinkedIn.
Matt Westmore, Chief Executive
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HRA annual report and accounts published
We've published our annual report and accounts for 2025-26, which were formally laid before Parliament today.
The report gives an overview of our performance in the last financial year, including the time it takes for us to review and approve applications for health and social care research.
It also explains who we are, what we do and provides a detailed look at our finances.
Welcome to our new Non-Executive Director
We are delighted to welcome Shamik Ghosh to our Board as a Non-Executive Director.
Shamik has extensive leadership experience in investment banking, with a core focus on risk, regulation and transformation.
He has previously been a regulator with the UK's Financial Services Authority, and led management consulting businesses.
We are also pleased to announce that our Non-Executive Director, Professor Alastair Denniston, was elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences Fellowship and has been appointed as Programme Director for the National Institute of Health and Care Research’s (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme.
New guidance on safeguarding UK human genomic data
The government has published new guidance setting out expectations for organisations safely holding human genomic data.
The guidance covers the use of Secure Data Environments, controls on international access, and the application of the 'Five Safes' framework to support secure research access.
We have welcomed the guidance, noting that it strengthens expectations around data security and access alongside existing governance frameworks, including the UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research, in enabling research that people can trust.
Read our latest Building Better Research Services bulletin
In this edition, you'll find an update on the timeline for the development of the new Plan and Manage Health and Care Research digital service, along with opportunities to get involved in user research and help shape the services we're designing to create a more streamlined, joined-up research environment.
Changes to Research Ethics Committee procedures
We’ve published an updated version of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for Research Ethics Committees (RECs).
The procedures set out the requirements RECs must meet when reviewing research applications and when giving an opinion on whether the research is ethical.
The updated SOPs (version 8.1) clarify which RECs can review certain types of studies in Northern Ireland and supersede version 8, published on 28 April 2026 to reflect changes to UK clinical trials regulations.
Pioneering cancer vaccine undergoing trials this summer
A ground-breaking vaccine for people at increased risk of several types of cancers, developed by the University of Oxford and Moderna, is scheduled to undergo trials this summer.
The study was approved by our North East York Research Ethics Committee (REC) last month.
We’re incredibly grateful to our REC volunteers for the time, care and expertise they brought to the review of this study. They play a vital role in assessing research proposals and giving an opinion on whether studies are ethical for the people taking part.
Strengthening the UK's research system
Our Chief Executive, Matthew Westmore, has written a blog about why getting research regulation right builds trust, confidence and predictability that innovation depends on.
Matt also highlights the importance of trust in research in a new report on public attitudes towards AI scribes in the NHS. In the report Matt describes trust as the most 'precious resource' in determining success.
Care Quality Commission assessment framework consultation
We have responded to the second stage of the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) 'better regulation, better care' consultation which is focussed on proposals to introduce sector specific assessment frameworks.
In our response, we highlight the importance of research in delivering high-quality care and that it should be seen as a business-as-usual activity, not a ‘nice to have’.
We outline how research activity should be assessed and that research culture, activity and governance for good patient care should be reflected explicitly and consistently in the frameworks.
News from across UK research
Below are some updates you may have missed about health and social care research in the UK:
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