A research governance framework was introduced in 2001 and updated in 2003 to ensure ‘high scientific, ethical and financial standards, transparent decision-making processes, clear allocation of responsibilities and robust monitoring arrangements for research taking place within the NHS’.1,2 The overall aim is to improve the quality of research and protect the public while minimising bureaucratic processes.3 However, the haphazard application of the laudable aims of the framework risks having the opposite effect and bringing multicentre research to its knees.
Anyone intending to conduct research in primary care must obtain permission from the primary care trusts (PCTs) in which the research will take place. PCTs have a responsibility to maintain records of all research being conducted in their area and to ensure that it meets the defined standards. In particular, all research must have ethical approval, be peer reviewed and have a defined sponsor who takes ultimate responsibility for its quality.
Ensuring the quality of research is clearly vital. But a well-intentioned policy has been implemented in PCTs with little experience of hosting research, by staff who are inadequately prepared and may have other priorities, against a backdrop of complex legislation, with often chaotic results. Although researchers have repeatedly complained about the …