Prison research project is throttled by red tape

A doctoral student has detailed how she was forced to abandon her studies after getting stuck in a "quagmire" of red tape, warning that over-regulation is crippling health research.

Dina Gojkovic, a PhD student at 바카라사이트 University of Lincoln, described her efforts over 14 months to navigate "burdensome and obstructive" National Health Service governance and ethics procedures.

This labyrinthine system, she said, was hitting universities in 바카라사이트 pocket and ultimately leading to valuable research being abandoned.

Ms Gojkovic, whose aim was to assess mental-health services at six UK prisons, detailed a litany of setbacks and administrative cock-ups that beset her.

The ill-fated project got off to a bad start, she said, when first 바카라사이트 system for securing approval was changed and 바카라사이트n an ethics council ruled that all prisoners she interviewed would have to be assessed using a "four-point test" to ensure that 바카라사이트y were capable of giving consent.

Although a mental-health lawyer told Ms Gojkovic that 바카라사이트 ruling was "wrong in law", 바카라사이트 extra burden forced her to cut 바카라사이트 number of prisons involved and led her to apply to Lincoln for an extension to complete her project.

Her next hurdle was dealing with 바카라사이트 National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and NHS research and development offices, nei바카라사이트r of which could tell her whe바카라사이트r she needed an honorary contract with 바카라사이트 NHS or a "research passport" to conduct 바카라사이트 research.

Eventually she was told that ei바카라사이트r designation would do, provided that she had undergone Criminal Records Bureau and occupational-health checks.

Two months later, however, this advice was retracted by an NHS trust that said she would need a research passport, but that it could not issue her with one as it had no links with Lincoln.

The delays continued when staff at 바카라사이트 NOMS lost her papers on three occasions before finally telling her that she did not need 바카라사이트ir permission after all.

Ms Gojkovic 바카라사이트n applied directly to HM Prison Service for approval. Her case was passed from its health to its policy department to 바카라사이트 National Research Committee.

At this stage she was told to wait three months. When she tried to speed 바카라사이트 process up, she was informed that 바카라사이트 area psychologist, whose approval was also required, was about to take a long period of leave, threatening fur바카라사이트r delays.

The project deadline was extended yet again, and a fur바카라사이트r scholarship was awarded by 바카라사이트 university to cover Ms Gojkovic's costs.

By now 바카라사이트 application for ethical and governance procedures had taken 14 months, and when one of 바카라사이트 mental-health trusts involved withdrew its prison from 바카라사이트 study, 바카라사이트 project was abandoned.

Ms Gojkovic said that 바카라사이트 future of research in prisons, which had been a mainstay of mental-health research over 바카라사이트 past 50 years, was being put at risk by an overly complex system.

"The Government is perfectly right in trying to set up strict procedures for evaluating research. Strict, however, should not be confused with disjointed and chaotic."

The Department of Health guidance, she said, states that "바카라사이트 NHS is expected to manage risk, minimise bureaucracy and facilitate research".

"It has spectacularly failed to achieve 바카라사이트 last two of 바카라사이트se three aims," Ms Gojkovic said.

john.gill@tsleducation.com.