To mark International Clinical Trials Day, Rachel from the North of Scotland Ethics Service will be sharing a video about research ethics on Youtube.
Research needs ethical approval before it is allowed to happen. For the NHS, this often involves a group of people reviewing NHS research applications and deciding on whether they are allowed to happen. These groups are the ethics committees, and they are made up of a mix of volunteers from professional experts, to people who have little to no experience of being involved in NHS research.
Research is guided by different policies and principles to ensure it is done ethically. There are lots of different types of research, in different areas, asking different questions. So, having a committee with lots of different people can help with making sure that this research is carried out the best way.
If you would be interested in finding out more about NHS Research Ethics, you can visit:
http://www.reviewingresearch.com/ - to see what ethics committee members need to think about when reviewing research
https://www.hra.nhs.uk/ - to learn more about the role of ethics committees