NHS ethics: Shoe-bombers and why 'less needs to be more'

Abstract

Neuropsychological research poses several challenges. Some of these, such as developing new ideas and conducting innovative studies, are approached with great enthusiasm, and are an integral and motivating part of academic research. By contrast, other challenges feel like gruelling, near-impossible tasks, designed to test the will of would-be researchers. For many, the process of obtaining UK National Health Service (NHS) ethics approval is the archetypal example of such a task. Baron (this issue) highlights several of the difficulties concerning the ethical review of research involving human subjects, identifying flaws in the current system, and their negative impact on the research process. In this commentary we further reflect on the current system for gaining ethics approval to work with brain-injured patients in the UK, and its implications for neuropsychology research in the UK and beyond.