Version 1.0 10 October 2024
Health Research Authority
Community Committee
Terms of Reference
- Purpose
1.1. The Community Committee is an advisory sub-committee of the HRA Board with responsibility for supporting the HRA’s strategy to make it easy to do research that people can trust. This includes providing advice on the HRA’s activity to include – so that health and social care research is done with and for everyone – and accelerate – so that research findings improve care faster because the UK is the easiest place in the world to do research that people can trust.
1.2. To deliver its functions and objectives under the Care Act 2014 to:
(a) to protect participants and potential participants in health or social care research and the general public by encouraging research that is safe and ethical, and
(b) to promote the interests of those participants and potential participants and the general public by facilitating the conduct of research that is safe and ethical (including by promoting transparency in research).
The HRA has identified that it is important to listen to and involve a diverse group of people in our work to better reflect the society that we serve and increase their involvement in the decisions that we make.
1.3. To achieve this, the HRA Board has established the HRA Community Committee. The HRA’s Community includes people that give their time generously and, in many cases, freely, to work with the HRA. It is made up of Research Ethics Committee members, Confidentiality Advisory Group members and Public Involvement Network members.
1.4. The Community Committee will be responsible for:
1.4.1. Reviewing and providing advice to the HRA Board from the perspective of the HRA Community regarding key strategic documents (e.g., HRA strategy, business plans etc) and HRA policy decisions which impact on how the HRA operates.
1.4.2. Providing advice to the HRA Board with regard to any issues, developments, proposals or policies which may impact on our community.
1.5. The Community Committee will have no executive powers other than those specifically delegated in these terms of reference.
1.6 The Community Committee is drawn from the HRA Community membership but members sit on the Committee in an individual capacity. They are not required to represent the views of the Community but may share their views informed by membership of the Community. All voices on the Committee have equal status.
2. Membership and Chairing
2.1 Membership of the Community Committee is open to all members of the HRA Community.
2.2. The Community Committee will be made up of at least half people who do not have professional expertise in clinical research or health or social care. You will be viewed as not having professional expertise in clinical research or health or social care if you have never been a registered health or social care professional, involved in clinical research (other than being a participant recruited to a research project or a member of the public who has been involved in the design and conduct of a research project), a chair, member or director of a health service body or any other body providing health care.
2.3. Membership is limited to a maximum of 15 people to facilitate a range of views and experience whilst enabling the Community Committee to operate effectively and collaboratively.
The membership of the Community Committee will be drawn from the following key stakeholders:
2.4.1. One non-executive member of the HRA Board who will co-chair the Community Committee meetings.
2.4.2. A minimum of 4 and no more than 7 Research Ethics Committee members and Confidentiality Advisory Group members. This can include members of Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish Research Ethics Committees, reflecting UK-wide coordination.
2.4.3. A minimum of 4 and no more than 7 Public Involvement Network members.
2.5. For instances of long term or unexpected absence, the Committee reserves the option to co-opt additional members of the relevant community group as a supplementary member.
2.6 For items where further advice or expertise may be required to support the Committee with its deliberations, the Committee reserves the right to consulta an individual or group with the appropriate expertise and knowledge to support its review.
2.7. The chairing responsibility for the Committee will be shared between a non-executive member of the HRA Board detailed in 2.4.1 and a Co-Chair drawn from the Community Committee membership.
2.8. In the absence of the Co-Chairs, the Community Committee may elect another member to act as Chair for that meeting or ask the Secretariat to appoint a member to act as Chair for that meeting.
2.9. The Director of Policy and Partnerships and the HRA Senior Engagement Officer will attend and provide secretariat support to the Community Committee.
2.10 Staff members from the following teams may observe/attend each meeting to listen to the discussion, answer any questions and ensure that the HRA acts on issues raised:
- REC support team
- CAG support team
- Public involvement team
- Company Secretary
2.11. Other HRA staff may attend as required to present items for discussion and receive advice.
2.12 The Committee will normally operate on a consensus basis and involve all members of the Committee, however where a consensus cannot be reached the co-chairs may take a decision on the way forward to facilitate the ongoing operation of the Committee.
3. Quorum
3.1. A quorum shall be 7 members.
3.2. For a meeting to be quorate the following must be present:
3.2.1. At least 1 Non-Executive Director or Executive Director / Director who attends the HRA Board.
3.2.2. At least 1 Research Ethics Committee or Confidentiality Advisory Group member.
3.2.3. At least 1 Public Involvement Network member.
3.3. As an advisory sub-committee of the HRA Board, the Community Committee has no delegated decision-making responsibilities however it does have the authority to offer advice to the Board. Advice will normally be offered on a consensus basis and involve all members of the Committee however where a consensus cannot be reached the Community Committee may decide to refer the matter to the Board highlighting any difference of opinion.
4. Role and responsibilities
4.1. The Community Committee will undertake the following key roles and responsibilities:
4.1.1. Reviewing and providing advice to the HRA Board from the perspective of the Community Committee regarding key strategic documents and HRA policy decisions which impact on how the HRA operates.
This will include:
4.1.1.1. The review of, and input into, HRA strategy documents, business plans and other key documents prior to sign off by HRA Board.
4.1.1.2. The review of quarterly performance indicators to monitor progress on objectives relevant to the Community Committee.
4.1.2.3 Providing advice to the HRA Board regarding any issues, developments, proposals, or policies which may impact on our community.
This will include:
4.1.2.1. The identification of ways to better support the HRA Community through reviewing the management response to the two-yearly community survey.
4.1.2.2. Identifying ways to attract new members to the HRA and monitoring progress.
4.1.2.3. Provide advice and input into policies relating to our community.
4.1.2.4. Discuss and input into actions for work that has a cross-organisational impact on our community (e.g. organisational development, Learning & Development, cultural work, Equality, Diversity & Inclusivity, etc).
4.1.2.5. Considering relevant risks and issues which impact on the HRA community.
4.1.2.6. Providing feedback to the HRA regarding individuals’ experience of being a part of the HRA’s Community.
4.1.2.7. Providing feedback for other projects and business areas where the work is relevant to the Community.
5. Frequency of meeting
5.1. The Community Committee will meet formally quarterly.
5.2. Meetings will normally take place via MS Teams or Zoom however face to face meetings may be convened as required.
5.3. Meetings will be scheduled for 3-hour periods with a ten-minute break every 50 minutes. A 1-hour optional breakout session will be scheduled for each meeting.
5.4. Ad-hoc meetings may be held by agreement of the Chair and Co-Chair as and when required.
5.5. A schedule of meetings will be communicated to all members prior to the start of each calendar year. If a meeting needs to be re-scheduled, members will be notified as soon as possible and at least one month prior to the new date.
5.6. To allow effective dissemination of information, meetings of the Community Committee should be scheduled to correlate with HRA Board meetings.
5.7. Meetings may, exceptionally, be cancelled by the Co-Chairs.
6. Papers
6.1. The deadline for receipt of agenda items and related papers by the Secretary is 10 working days prior to the meeting. These will be added to the agenda with the agreement of the Co-Chairs and Director of Policy and Partnerships/Secretariat.
6.2. Any papers received after this date will not be included on the agenda and will be added to the next meeting agenda, except in exceptional circumstances and with the agreement of the Co-Chairs.
6.3. Where reporting timelines for other groups or teams are not compatible with the Community Committee cut-off dates a verbal update may be provided at the meeting, with the agreement of the Co-Chairs, with the paper to be circulated for information after the meeting.
6.4. Papers must be labelled appropriately. The label should make clear the reason it has been circulated to the Community Committee (i.e. for approval, for information, for review and advice). The anticipated length of time for discussion is included in the agenda.
6.5. Papers will be circulated to members 7 calendar days before the meeting.
7. Reporting
7.1. Draft minutes of each meeting will be circulated within 10 working days to the Community Committee for comment and will provide a clear record of decisions reached and actions agreed. These will be published on the HRA website once approved at the subsequent meeting.
7.2. Minutes will be formally approved at the subsequent meeting and published on the HRA website.
7.3. The Secretary will maintain an action log, which will be reviewed by the Co-Chairs and made available to all Community Committee members on request.
7.4. Any actions and decisions will be circulated to relevant individuals / stakeholders as required in a timely manner by the Secretary.
7.5. Agendas and Community Committee Meeting Minutes will be made available to members of staff, other members of the Community and the wider public via the HRA website.
7.6. The Community Committee will provide an update to the HRA Board on a quarterly basis.
8. Review
8.1. The terms of reference for the Community Committee will be reviewed on an annual basis.
8.2 To inform this review the secretariat will produce an annual impact report.
9. Period of appointment
9.1 You are normally appointed as a member of the Community Committee for a period of 2 years with the option to extend your appointment by a further 2 years twice.
10. Resignation
10..1 Community Committee members may resign as a member of the Community Committee at any time.
10.2 If Committee members choose to leave the HRA Community, for example ceasing to be a member of a Research Ethics Committee, their membership of the Community Committee will also cease.
11. Declarations of Interest
11.1 You are required to declare any personal or professional interests that have potential to conflict with the purpose, role or remit of the Community Committee. The purpose of this declaration is to ensure that the functions of the Community Committee can be exercised free of bias that could affect its independence in reaching decisions, and to ensure public confidence in the independence of the Community Committee.
12. Publication of membership details
12.1 Your full name will be included on Community Committee Minutes published on the HRA website. The HRA would also like to host a headshot and short biography of each Committee member on its website.
Appendix One Appointment Agreement
Terms and conditions of appointment as a member of a Health Research Authority (HRA) Community Committee:
1.Period of appointment
You are appointed as a member of the Community Committee for a period of up to two years.
2. Renewal of appointment
You have the option to extend your appointment as a member of the Community Committee for a further period of two years twice.
3. Resignation
You may resign as a member of the Community Committee at any time. If you leave the HRA Community, for example ceasing to be a member of a Research Ethics Committee, your membership of the Community Committee will also cease.
4. Attendance
Members must attend two thirds of Community Committee meetings which operationally is three meetings a year.
You are requested to notify the secretariat in advance wherever possible if you are unable to attend any scheduled meeting.
You may apply to have a break in membership during your term of office.
This would need to be approved by the HRA for a specific time. Examples of when this may be appropriate would include maternity leave; ill health; working overseas. Attendance requirements for the year would be pro rata and your term of appointment would be extended by the same time period.
5. Declaration of interests
You agree to notify the HRA of any changes to your declaration arising throughout the term of the appointment within a period of four weeks from their occurrence. The declaration of interest will be checked with you annually.
6. Situations where a potential conflict of interest arises
You agree to advise the Co-Chairs appropriately, either prior to or at the meeting of the Community Committee when a potential conflict of interest arises. You agree to withdraw from any Community Committee business if requested to do so by the Co-Chairs.
The matter of your withdrawal arising out of a declared potential conflict of interest will be included in the minutes of the meeting at which it occurred.
7. Confidentiality
You agree to treat in complete confidence all information disclosed to you by the Health Research Authority. You agree not to make copies of any document or other material relating to the business of the Community Committee, nor duplicate any information contained therein whether by photographic, electronic or by any other means, except for such documents and material which are public knowledge.
You agree to keep in confidence details of other Community Committee members e.g. email addresses, and not share with anyone, unless prior permission has been obtained by the Community Committee members.
8. Business Conduct
You are required to conduct yourself in a manner which positively reflects the activities of the HRA and to treat colleagues, applicants, employees of HRA and other key stakeholders with respect and in an appropriately courteous way. In all circumstances you will be required to work in a way which upholds the reputation of the HRA.
Any queries from the media in relation to HRA or Community Committee business should be referred to the HRA Communications Team.
Any articles in relation to HRA/Community Committee business should be passed to the Communications Team prior to publication.
If you receive a request for information which relates to HRA/Community Committee business this should be passed to the HRA Freedom of Information lead to consider if it falls under the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act.
You are required to notify the HRA with regard to any incident or activity which may adversely reflect on the HRA.
9. Data protection
Please refer to the published HRA privacy statement for information about how your data is used:
https://www.hra.nhs.uk/aboutus/qovernance/privacy-notice/
10. Equality, diversity and Inclusion
When taking forward your role as a Community Committee member, the HRA expects you to support our culture of inclusivity and respect and you can expect this in return in your interactions with other members and staff. We have a collective responsibility to communicate in a way which is constructive and respectful, and to maintain an environment in which all individuals feel safe and valued for who they are and what they bring. Community Committee members share our public duty (Equality Act 2010) to demonstrate due regard for how we eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not. To support this aim we particularly require members to undertake equality and diversity training during their membership (once in each term of office) and provide us with equality monitoring data when requested if you are happy to do so.
11. Contact Details
You are required to have a current email account which can be used to contact you. From time to time, we may share this email address with a third party working on behalf of the HRA to contact you in relation to HRA business only.
12. Signatures to the Agreement
I have read the above Terms and Conditions of Appointment to the HRA as a Community Committee member and accept them.
Signature and date signed.