Development of the research ethics service in the UK

There have been considerable developments within the National Research Ethics Service (NRES) in recent years.

• The formal establishment of research ethics committees (RECs) in the National Health Service (NHS) in England in 1991, following the publication of Department of Health guidance HSG(91)5 (known as 'The Red Book')

• The establishment of multi-centre research ethics committees in 1997, following the publication of Department of Health guidance HSG (97)23
• The establishment of the Central Office for Research Ethics Committees (COREC) in 2000
• The publication of Governance Arrangements for NHS Research Ethics Committees (GAfREC) in July 2001
• The provision of a single UK-wide ethical opinion, following the implementation of version 1.0 of the Standard Operating Procedures for RECs in the United Kingdom on 1 March 2004
• The implementation of the EU Clinical Trials Directive 2001/20/EC on 1 May 2004
• The establishment of NRES on 1 April 2007, which incorporated COREC and NHS RECs (in England)
• The publication of revised Governance Arrangements for NHS Research Ethics Committees (GAfREC) Harmonised edition, September 2011
• The establishment of the Health Research Authority (HRA) on 01 December 2011 as a Special Health Authority, with NRES at the core of this NHS organisation.