In order to support reviewing studies through the HRA’s UK-wide Radiation Assurance process, we're continuing to recruit a panel of HRA Radiation Assurance reviewers made up of lead Clinical Radiation Experts (CREs) and Medical Physics Expert (MPEs).
We invite MPEs and CREs from across the United Kingdom to register to become HRA Radiation Assurance reviewers. This includes, but is not limited to, reviewers with expertise in:
- radiology, including general radiology exposures for CREs
- nuclear medicine (both diagnostic and therapeutic exposures)
- radiotherapy
- cardiology
- gastroenterology
- oncology
- neurology
- paediatrics
- rheumatology
- vascular specialities
Candidates should have experience of carrying out local IRMER compliance reviews, as well as conducting lead MPE/CRE reviews. As part of the application process, we provide a short online training course about the review process to successful individuals. This will need to be completed before candidates can be registered with the HRA.
As a HRA-registered reviewer, you can opt to review studies on behalf of your employer, as an independent reviewer (for example registered as a sole trader or limited company), or both. You can also opt to review HRA-managed studies, self-managed studies, or both. There are further details about the HRA-managed and self-managed reciew routes on the Applying for Radiation Assurance page.
Can being a reviewer help with CPD?
CREs who are members of the Royal College of Radiologists and are registered to review through Radiation Assurance can claim one continuing professional development (CPD) point for each review they complete.
MPEs who are registered with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) may be able to claim the reviews they complete through Radiation Assurance as CPD activities, which can be contributed to a CPD portfolio.
Further details about the role:
If you have any queries around the role, or would like an informal chat with a member of our team, please contact radiation.assurance@hra.nhs.uk.
Giles Morrison, Medical Physics Expert and HRA expert advisor“Radiation is an explicit part of the ethical approval process. I see the reviewer role as being about assuring patient safety in research that uses ionising radiation.
"The changes have been piloted, with the intention of reducing the burden of approval at local sites by ensuring that high quality protocols, participant information sheets and comprehensive IRAS applications are submitted to Research Ethics Committees.
"The outcome was that the quality of applications improved, and it is anticipated that ultimately local approval processes become simply a question of capacity and capability, reducing delays to study recruitment."
Iosif Mendichovszky, Clinical Radiation Expert and HRA expert advisorSafeguarding the appropriateness of exposures to ionising radiation for research participants is an integral part of the ethical approval process. Clinical Radiation Experts (CREs) use their professional knowledge, skills and experience to ensure that the purpose, frequency and type of imaging procedures are clearly identified, justified and optimised for each part of the research study. Working jointly with MPEs, CREs assess the acceptability of additional exposures within and outside the study protocol and check that the risk statement in the participant information sheet (PIS) is suitable for the participant group.
Radiation Assurance streamlines this process and creates a multidisciplinary collaborative environment ensuring that high-quality evidence, consistent throughout all study documents, is submitted to Research Ethics Committees. This process results in improved ethics approvals, streamlined local processes and accelerated clinical research site activation.
Interested in applying?
There are different document requirements depending on whether you want to apply to review for your employer, as an independent, or both.
If you’re a practitioner licensed to review nuclear medicine procedures, we’d also be grateful for sight of your ARSAC practitioner license. For further details of how to apply for or renew your license, please see the ARSAC website.
All candidates who are interested in registering should provide:
- proof of registration to the appropriate professional body
- a current CV (two pages maximum)
- a completed HRA reviewer registration form
- a covering letter describing how they meet the role requirements
- if you’re an ARSAC license holder, proof of holding an ARSAC practitioner license
Candidates who are applying to review studies on behalf of their employer should also provide:
- a letter of support from their line manager confirming that:
- they are content for the candidate to take on this role on behalf of the employing organisation; and
- which specialist areas and modalities they are content for the candidate to review within.
Candidates who are applying to review as an independent reviewer should also provide:
- an email confirming that they are registered as a sole trader or limited company
- a professional indemnity certificate.
MPE candidates who are applying to review studies for both their employer and as an independent reviewer should also provide:
- agreement from their line manager that they can work in an independent capacity. This can be included in the line manager's letter of support if applying to review studies on behalf of their employer and as an independent reviewer at the same time.
The above documents should be submitted to radiation.assurance@hra.nhs.uk, with the subject line: 'Reviewer registration application'.
You can see how we use any personal data provided to us in our privacy notice.
Candidates who are part time workers should notify us of this together with their working days in their submission. This is to ensure that we communicate with them effectively and, if successful, only assign studies for review on their working days.