23 September 2011 The AAPEC has completed a consultation on the revised governance arrangements for research ethics committees (GafREC) with its 5 Ethics committees; Yorkshire Independent Ethics Committee (YIREC), Welwyn Clinical Pharmacology Ethics Committee (WCPEC), Edinburgh Independent Ethics Committee for Medical research (EIECMR), Plymouth Independent Research Ethics Committee (PIREC) and Capenhurst Independent Research Ethics Committees (CIREC). This consultation ended on 15th August 2011. The main purpose of this consultation was to ascertain if the AAPEC ECs were willing to continue to operate under the terms and conditions of the new GafREC. The AAPEC has reviewed the committees’ responses and can now issue the following notice:
The WCPEC has agreed to continue as a functioning committee for the review of Phase 1 CTIMPs in healthy volunteers, with a view to managing a transition in the New Year to the National Research Ethics Service (NRES) under the new Health Research Authority.
The YIREC has agreed continue as a functioning committee for the review of Phase 1 CTIMPs in healthy volunteers, with a view to managing a transition in the New Year to the National Research Ethics service (NRES) under the new Health Research Authority.
The CIREC will no longer review new studies and its last full committee meeting took place on 8th September 2011. The CIREC will be completing final favourable decisions on already reviewed studies and amendments in its workload pipeline thereafter until the 30th November 2011.
Historical study files will be transferred to the Greater Manchester Central NHS REC by end of November 2011, who will handle downstream work such as safety reports, end of study reports and amendments for studies historically reviewed by the CIREC.
The CIREC will cease acting as the named SSA REC for Quotient Nottingham on 30th September 2011. From 1st October 2011 the new named SSA REC for Quotient Nottingham will be Nottingham 2 NHS REC.
The EIECMR will not be receiving new studies for ethical review after its last full committee meeting which will take place on 30th September 2011 but it will be completing final favourable decisions on already reviewed studies and amendments and other business already in its workload thereafter until the end of December 2011. Historical study files will be transferred in the near future to a local Scottish NHS committee , who will handle downstream work such as safety reports, end of study reports and amendment for studies historically reviewed by the EIECMR (advice will be posted on the details of this committee on the
www.aapec.org.uk soon).
The EIECMR will cease acting as the named SSA REC for Edinburgh Sleep Centre on 31st October 2011. From 1st November 2011 SSA review for this centre will be managed by the general South East Scotland Ethics Service.
The PIREC will not be receiving in new studies for ethical review after its committee meeting on 17th November 2011 but will be completing decisions on already reviewed studies, amendments already in its workload by 31st December 2011. Historical study files will be then be transferred to South Central - Berkshire B NHS REC who will handle downstream work such as safety reports, end of study reports and amendments for studies historically reviewed by the PIREC.
The PIREC will be continuing to act as SSA REC for Aspect Clinical and Veeda until 30th November 2011. From 1st December 2011 the named SSA REC for Veeda Plymouth and Aspect Clinical (Ledbury) will South Central Berkshire B NHS REC.
Contact details are available on
www.aapec.org.uk and
www.nres.nhs.uk I addition to the WCPEC and the YIREC, the former RIEC committee has been reconstituted as an NHS REC (South Central Berkshire B) some months ago, and its committee membership remains the same as when it was previously an AAPEC appointed committee.
There is also a comprehensive list of NHS and HSC RECs with Type 1 recognition listed on The NRES web site.
Overall there is sufficient capacity in the UK to deal with Phase 1 CTIMP workload.
If you have questions about the outcomes of the recent AAPEC Consultation please contact Dr Siobhan McGrath AAPEC Business and Operations Manager at
Siobhan.mcgrath@hscni.netIf you need facilitation to find slots for review by Type 1 Recognised RECs with the NHS or the HSC, please contact Ann Tunley on
ann.tunley@nhs.net
