Ethics and Ethnography Observatory
A network supporting researchers and ethics committees to navigate the unique ethical challenges of ethnographic research in health and social care.
What we do
We work to:
- bridge the gap between procedural ethics requirements and the dynamic, relational nature of ethnographic practice
- provide practical guidance and resources for researchers navigating consent, observation and sensitive data in complex care environments
- support ethics committees and funding panels to assess ethnographic studies appropriately and consistently
- connect and support researchers at all career stages undertaking ethnographic work
Why this matters
Ethnography – research that combines observation, interviews and collection of documents and artefacts to understand what shapes how groups of people behave in real-world settings – is a vital approach in health and care research. By observing routine practice and care environments, interviewing staff and patients, and examining everyday interactions, ethnography helps us understand how NHS and social care is organised and delivered in practice. It can surface experiences, behaviours and forms of work that other methods struggle to capture.
However, ethnographic research raises distinctive ethical questions. For example:
- how should researchers conduct themselves in busy clinical environments?
- how can meaningful consent be negotiated in settings with constant footfall?
- how should researchers manage the incidental overhearing of sensitive information about patients or staff?
These issues can be challenging for both researchers and those reviewing studies, particularly where ethics processes are designed around more bounded or intervention-based research. Addressing them well is essential for trustworthiness, rigour, and public confidence in ethnographic work.
Who we are
The Observatory network was founded in 2025 by Professor Catherine Pope (University of Oxford) and Professor Nici Mackintosh (University of Leicester), following a symposium that brought together ethnographers from across health and social care to explore ethical challenges in ethnographic research. From those discussions, a smaller working group formed to take this agenda forward.
COur current priorities
We are currently focused on:
- informing improvements to IRAS (Integrated Research Application System) and research ethics processes so they are fit for purpose for ethnographic studies
- supporting training and guidance for Research Ethics Committees on assessing ethnographic research
- developing clearer guidance on when Confidentiality Advisory Group approval is needed for ethnographic studies
Get involved
Whether you are an ethnographer, a research governance lead, or a member of an ethics committee, we welcome engagement and dialogue. To get involved, join our by filling out this form.
The Observatory's foundation was supported by Professor Pope's NIHR Senior Investigator Award and the College of Life Sciences, University of Leicester.
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Current members include:
- Professor Catherine Pope, University of Oxford
- Professor Nici Mackintosh, University of Leicester
- Professor Georgia Black, QMUL
- Professor Erica Borgstrom, The open University
- Dr Jennifer Creese, University of Leicester
- Dr Daniel Derbyshire, Lancaster University
- Dr Lesley Dunleavy, Lancaster University
- Professor Katie Featherstone, University of West London
- Professor Rachael Gooberman-Hill, University of Bristol
- Dr Fawn Harrad-Hyde, University of Leicester
- Dr Stephen Hibbs, QMUL
- Dr Joanna Hope, University of Southampton
- Professor Christine McCourt, City St George’s
- Dr Shadrek Mwale, University of West London
- Professor Andy Northcott, University of West London
- Dr Tanvi Rai, University of Oxford
- Professor Deborah Swinglehurst, QMUL