HSE Research Ethics Committee - Committee Information

• The Committee involves itself solely with human volunteer research and this is reflected in its title although not in the text of the terms of reference per se.
• The Committee will only consider intramural HSE research excepting in defined circumstances (see below). Extramural research should be submitted to an Ethics Committee appropriate to the funded research organisation and particularly where there is recruitment or use of facilities within the NHS then guidelines set out by the DH Central Office for Research Ethics Committees (COREC) should be followed.
• The Committee has agreed that it would consider HSE extramural research in specific instances - namely when the research organisation does not have access to a local ethics committee; when the research activity is multi-centre (and it is not appropriate to involve an NHS Multi-centre REC); and where the research topic falls outside of the technical experience of a local committee (e.g. hygiene based research).
• The Committee is aware that there is a potential 'grey' area within HSE between what might be considered research and its day to day field investigation. Any uncertainty in this area in respect of submission to the REC should be discussed with the Medical Secretary. HSE operational activity should be conducted to equivalent ethical standards even if formal submission to the REC is deemed to be inappropriate.