Constitution and policies
UK DCTN Constitution
As a registered charity the UK DCTN operates according to a formal constitution (PDF copy here).
UK DCTN Author agreement
We have developed an author agreement that we ask all those developing studies with the UK DCTN to sign. This is to ensure that relevant guidelines and policies are adhered to throughout the study development process.
Financial Policies
Internal Financial Controls
Financial Reserves Policy
Risk Management
Risk Management Policy
Charity Trustee Policies
UK DCTN Trustee expenses policy
UK DCTN Trustee Conflict of Interests Policy
Serious Incident Reporting
Serious incident reporting policy
Complaints
Complaints policy and procedure policy
Social Media
Social media guidance and policy
Privacy Policy
UK DCTN Privacy policy
UK DCTN Publication Policy
The principles for publication of studies conducted through the UK DCTN are contained in our updated publication policy here.
Publicising non-UK DCTN training and events
Work involving publicising and circulating research studies/ events/ training and awards from third party organisations - Publicising non-UK DCTN initiatives policy
Working with Industry
The current remit of the UK DCTN is to answer questions that are important to the NHS through non-industry funded sources. As a result of this we do not undertake research studies or offer support for pharmaceuticla companies. See our policy on working with industry here. The National Institute for Health and care Research (NIHR) have a dedicated industry team for supporting industry studies.
Sponsorship and Indemnity
All UK DCTN trials have a designated sponsor and appropriate indemnity cover in place. The choice of sponsor for a particular piece of research depends on several factors and is decided at the time of development.
Alignment with NIHR Infrastructure
The NIHR Clinical Research Network Dermatology Specialty Group has been established to support the delivery of dermatology studies within the NIHR portfolio. The UK DCTN recognises the importance of this group and aims to work alongside it as a Clinical Studies Group involved in the implementation of independent dermatology trials. Follow this link to find out more about the work of the Dermatology Specialty Group.
Role of Chief Investigator
The Chief Investigator for each trial will take overall responsibility for the design and conduct of the trial.
The Chief Investigator will be expected to fulfil all of the requirements of the chief investigators under the terms of research governance, although some tasks will be delegated to the co-ordinating centre and/or trial managers.
See guidance here on what being a clinical lead involves.