Background

As part of the Research Approvals Process Project (RAPP), the Ministry of Health invited Health Research BC to explore the establishment of a provincial health authority research ethics board service, as requested by Leadership Council, a group which includes health authority CEOs, the Deputy Minister of Health and other senior health sector leaders. This would provide long-term improvements in the research approval landscape to further advance an efficient and effective health research environment in British Columbia.

It is acknowledged that ethics is only one facet of the RAPP initiative, but starting with this focus builds on system strengths already established by the expertise, creativity and successful accomplishments of the research ethics community over many years.

Health Research BC is the province’s health research agency; the work of RAPP is directly aligned with its commitment to strengthen the health research system within British Columbia. Within Health Research BC, Research Ethics BC and Clinical Trials BC sit at the intersection of health authorities, academia, patient partners, research institutes, and the life sciences sector; each bring important perspectives to this work.

The outcome of this 18-week project was to provide the Ministry of Health and health authorities with a service model design that takes into consideration people, process and technology, along with a transformation business case for achieving the future state and board service model. To promote success, we engaged with Accenture, an external consulting firm, to support us in this design. Accenture brings an understanding of the broad operational, organizational and technology challenges involved in creating a provincial service model, as well as its impacts on health authorities and research universities. Their consultants have advanced experience in delivering solutions to their partners across Canada and internationally, working closely with impacted parties to assess needs, and co-design successful research models that enable people, process and technology.

Project timeline

This initiative occurred in three stages between June and October 2024:

• Phase one (discovery):
  • This phase provided dedicated time for the Accenture team to come up to speed with what has happened to date in British Columbia, inclusive of engagement and discussions across different groups impacted by this work. This included consultation sessions with different parties involved in Indigenous research ethics in British Columbia, as well as scanning best practices internationally.
• Phase two (design and refinement):
  • This phase included workshops to design the research ethics board service model and further refine the desired future state.
• Phase three (business case development):
  • This final phase saw the team bringing the work together from phase one and two to develop a transformation business case for achieving the future state and board service model. This included a high-level roadmap outlining broad steps to prepare for implementation of the model.

What is the expected outcome of this initiative? 

Health Research BC delivered to Ministry of Health and health authorities a design and transformation business case for a provincial health authority research ethics board service model in November. Health leadership has received the advice proposed in the business case and will determine opportunities to implement based on factors such as readiness, feasibility, funding and preparedness to mitigate disruption.

In parallel with this, the RAPP team continues their work to improve and streamline the research approvals process in BC.

Connect with the project team 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at ethicsmodeldesign@healthresearchbc.ca.