Developing a research governance process 

Any research involving local authority colleagues, residents or local authority data is required to go through the Research Governance process. This includes research undertaken by external researchers and local authority colleagues, or if the research forms part of a dissertation or thesis.  

The research governance process requires the lead researcher to provide: 

• ethics approval from a university or the NHS 

• indemnity insurance 

• a research proposal or answers to questions on the aim and content of the study, including the research question, methods and details of the research team (including their name, contact details and organisation) 

They are also asked to complete a form answering the following questions: 

• What is your experience working with the participants of your study? 

• How will you select your participants and comply with the Equality Act 2010? 

• Are you involving participants in the planning of your research, to ensure methods are appropriate? 

• Will you provide an incentive to those taking part, and what is your rationale for this? 

• What is the complaints process for research participants? 

• How will you ensure you have informed consent? 

• How will you ensure your study is compliant with the Mental Health Capacity Act? 

• Is there any risk to research participants of financial, mental or physical harm? If so, how will you mitigate this? 

• How will you ensure your study is conducted in line with GDPR requirements and all data is stored securely?  

• How will you disseminate your research and feedback to research participants and the local authority on findings?

The research lead is also asked to submit any relevant additional documentation such as consent forms.  

This information is considered by a panel of 4 members of the public health team with an interest in research. They aim to meet within 2 weeks of an application being received and to provide feedback within 10 working days. The panel also contact the local authority team that would be involved in the research to ensure they have no objections (such as capacity of the team to support the research).  

Being a member of the panel does not require a large amount of time outside of meetings, when the panel meet, they review the application and documents individually and then discussed as a group. A member of the panel will then contact the lead researcher to confirm approval, or to request further clarification or amendments to the study. Once received, these are reviewed by the panel members in an online meeting. Another panel meeting is organised if more in-depth discussion is required.  

Over the last 3 years, the panel have considered over 20 applications. As details of each application are stored centrally, they have a record of research taking place with local authority involvement. External researchers and local authority colleagues have generally been receptive to the process and have found it helpful in refining their research. 

The team stress the importance of developing a process that works for your local authority setting: 

For more information, please contact Parmdip.Dhillon@wolverhampton.gov.uk.  

This learning story was prepared with support from NIHR RSS Specialist Centre for Public Health delivered by Newcastle University and Partners. With thanks to Wolverhampton City Council for providing the content.