College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences

Information for applicants

 

Working with potentially vulnerable adults

You must satisfy yourself that there is a need to involve potentially vulnerable adults, for example those with severe learning disabilities, and be able to justify this to the Committee. You should ensure that you have familiarised yourself with the relevant legal position, where it is intended to conduct research with adults who may not be able to give a legally valid consent to take part in research. Consider, for example, the process of access and consent, and the role of gatekeepers to potentially vulnerable adults. 

Researchers should be aware that:

• Basic Disclosure is required for researchers conducting non-clinical research involving Protected Adults in a university setting.
• Standard Disclosure is required for researchers conducting research with patients in connection with a health or medical issue (clinical research).
• Enhanced Disclosure is required for researchers conducting non-clinical research with prisoners, including young offenders, within the Scottish Prison Service.
• PVG scheme membership is required for researchers conducting research which involves the provision of advice or recommendations relating to the health or medical condition of a patient (clinical research).
• Disclosure/PVG scheme membership is employer-specific - separate applications are required for different employers.
• Further details on the requirements for Disclosure or membership of the PVG scheme can be obtained from the HR website. Examples of specific research scenarios can be found in the 'frequently asked questions' (FAQs) section.

Where the proposed research participant is in a dependent relationship to the researcher (for example, where the research participant is a student), the researcher must make it clear that a decision to take part or not in the project will in no way affect the individual's relationship with the researcher and the researcher must ensure that this is the case.

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