Clinical Research Assistant

NHS; Dorking; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

DHC GP Federation is seeking a Clinical Research Assistant to support the delivery of clinical studies across multiple sites in Surrey. The role involves administrative coordination, supporting research funding applications, and fostering partnerships with stakeholders to enhance research activities aligned with the Federation's strategy.

Benefits

Competitive salaries and career development

Generous annual leave with the opportunity to buy or sell leave

Qualifications

• Experience in administrative roles required.
• Strong communication skills necessary.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality in a healthcare setting.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative and project support for clinical research.
• Coordinate operational aspects of clinical studies.
• Support research funding applications and stakeholder engagement.

Skills

Project management

Excellent oral and written communication skills

Excellent organisational, planning and problem-solving skills

Education

Experience of working in an administrative/coordination role

Experience of working in a research/clinical environment

Tools

Microsoft Office suite

Job description

DHC GP Federation is a patient focused and pro-active community-basedprovider working across East Surrey and Surrey Downs with strong links to allthe GPs working within our Federation.

Due to strategic growth in 2025, we areexpanding to include seven Primary Care Networks (PCNs), which in turn are madeup of 20 GP practices.

You will work with our Research Clinical Lead, workingclosely with PCNs and Practices to support and deliver clinical studies andtrials across the organisation.

Please note this role is not solely based at Dorking Hospital, but will involve working across multiple sites within the federation as required.

Main duties of the job

The Research Assistant will provide administrative and project support for clinical research within DHC, and support research funding applications.

This includes working with a range of stakeholders across the organisation as well as inpartnership with academic and commercial partners to increase research activityin line with DHC's wider organisation strategy.

The post holderwill support the Clinical Lead to deliver the research strategy for DHC andfeeding the outcomes of these projects back into clinical practice with theintention of sharing best practice and ensuring the highest quality care forour patients.

Key themes:

• Study Coordination and Support help with thesetup of studies across the Federation, tracking deadlines, submissions, andstudy activity. Supporting practices/troubleshooting as needed.
• AdministrativeSupport supporting with the completion and maintenance of accurate studyrelated documents e.g. delegation logs. Helping practices stay up to date withtraining and regulatory requirements for research.
• Establish and maintain collaborativerelationships with both internal and external stakeholders such as GPPractices, academic institutions, other healthcare providers, regulatorybodies, industry partners, patients and public. Acting as a central point ofcontact for Research in the Federation along with the Clinical Lead.

About us

DHCis a GP Federation dedicated to supporting general practice in Surrey byproviding high-quality healthcare. By working together, we develop healthservices that help our patients stay well, are efficient and meet the needs ofour local stakeholders. We place people at the centre of everything we do. Weprovide a wide range of quality healthcare services including elective care,Talking Therapies, community healthcare which we integrate and co-ordinate withprimary care.

Weare registered with the CQC (Care Quality Commission) and are an accredited AQP(Any Qualified Provider). We value our team and provide strong leadership withgreat professional development, in a fun and friendly environment.

DHCis working at the center of the local health system to evolve and deliverintegrated care and that requires strong partnerships with many organizations.In all of our services, we aim to put the patient at the center of their care,make sure our services are easy to access by local patients and reduce waitingtimes for patients. We are well placed to influence the wider system in makinggood choices for our population.

• Competitivesalaries and career development
• Agreat place to work
• EAP
• GenerousAnnual leave with the opportunity to buy or sell leave

DHCactively encourages and promotes diversity, ensures all voices are heard andincluded, and is committed to equal opportunities for all.

Job responsibilities

JOB SUMMARY:

DHC GP Federation is a patient focused and pro-active community-basedprovider working across East Surrey and Surrey Downs with strong links to allthe GPs working within our Federation. Due to strategic growth, in 2025 we areexpanding to include seven Primary Care Networks (PCNs), which in turn are madeup of 20 practices. You will work as part of the central Federation team,working closely with PCNs and Practices to support and supervise clinicalstudies and trials across the organisation.

The role of the Clinical Research Assistant is to support the managementand operational aspects of clinical research within DHC. This includes jointworking with the Clinical Research Lead, clinicians across the organisation, seniormanagers and partners, potential researchers and in partnership with academicand commercial partners to increase research activity in line with DHCs widerorganisation strategy.

The post holder will support operational aspects of the researchstrategy for DHC, ensuring effective management of these projects and strong communicationthroughout the process, feeding back on the progress and outcomes to relevantparties across the organisation.

You will be supported through our central senior management team as wellas our links with the Clinical Research Network (CRN) in Kent, Surrey andSussex (KSS) in order to provide dedicated operational and administrativesupport to those involved in the delivery of clinical research across theorganisation.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POST

Key responsibilities will include but arenot limited to:

• Support and coordinate the operationalaspects of clinical research, working in partnership with key stakeholders tosecure the achievement and maintenance of national targets, including theaccrual of patients into trials and other high-quality studies within theFederation.
• Maintain links with the National Institutefor Health and Care Research (NIHR) CRN KSS to support the setup and timelydelivery of commercial and non-commercial research studies.
• Supporting the application process ofexpression of interest forms for research studies.
• Understanding the requirements of the various ethical and regulatorybodies, agencies and frameworks, and co-ordinating any necessary auditprocesses.
• Supporting with the preparation, creation and maintenance of studymaterials and establishing procedures to ensure adherence to study protocolsand administrative requirements.
• To invite, host and liaise with clinical trial sponsors, academics andclinical research organisations to promote DHC as the organisation of choicefor clinical trials in our area.
• Ensuring clinical safety and ethical practice.
• Demonstrating motivation, reliability,flexibility, and commitment to the role.
• Establishing and maintaining good workingrelationships with stakeholders and GP practice teams.

The post holder must maintain theconfidentiality of information about patients staff and DHC business inaccordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Caldicott principles.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND ADMINISTRATION

• To support managerial and operational aspects of clinical researchactivities.
• To foster involvement of service users and carers in the research andinnovation agenda, including co-production of research projects.
• To hold an overview of the research portfolio including outcomes ofstudies and publications and ensuring these are fed back across theorganisation and to the R&D office.
• To facilitate contact with the R&D Directorate and the LocalClinical Research Network (LCRN) in order to bid for studies which are in theNIHR approved portfolio and which may be suitable for opening within DHC.
• To consolidate and establish links with academic partners to driveresearch forward in line with DHCs research strategies.
• To lead on the design, planning and implementation of systems forevaluation, monitoring and development of the service, using professionalskills in research, service evaluation and audit.
• To liaise with the Clinical Leads in practices to ensure a coherentresearch strategy is developed, consistent with legal requirements, nationalpolicy, accepted good practice and overall objectives.
• To ensure that study outcomes and the impact on clinical practice arefed back to clinical teams, and are disseminated at local, national andinternational forums where appropriate.
• To support staff within DHC in developing and carrying out research orservice delivery projects.

Organisational Effectiveness

• Work effectively with the rest of the clinical and non-clinical teams.
• Effectively manage own time, workload, and resources.
• Apply practice policies, standards, and guidance where applicable.
• Participate in audit where appropriate.
• Review and process data using accurate coding to ensure easy andaccurate retrieval for monitoring and audit processes.
• Understand your responsibilities relating to confidentiality and freedomof information.

Delivering Quality

• To monitor and review the effectiveness of the research work undertakenthrough line management and performance reviews.
• Support and participate in shared learning across the practices andwider DHC organisation.
• Assess own performance and take accountability for ownactions, either directly or under supervision.

Health and Safety

• To have an awareness of national standards of infection control andcleanliness and regulatory, contractual, professional requirements, and goodpractice guidelines.
• Manage and assess risk within the areas of responsibility, ensuring adequatemeasures are in place to protect staff and patients.
• Monitor work areas and practices to ensure they are safe and free fromhazards and conform to the practices health & safety and infection controlpolicies.
• To engage in audits as required and appropriate.
• To ensure all equipment is tested annually and any faults are reportedin a timely manner.
• To log all faults and arrange replacements/repair where necessary andappropriate.
• To report any risks and undertake Significant EventAnalysis where appropriate, feeding back to the wider team.

Training and Development

• Personal development will be encouraged and supported by DHC and thepractices.
• It is the individuals responsibility to remain up to date with recent developmentswithin the health service.
• Statutory and mandatory training is undertaken annually throughe-learning.
• You are responsible for holding and updating your Personal DevelopmentPlan which will be reviewed annually at appraisal.
• Participate in the education and trainingprovided by the Training Hub.
• If it is necessary to expand the role toinclude additional responsibilities, full training will be given.
• Make effective use of learning opportunities within and outside theworkplace, evaluating their effectiveness and feeding back relevant information

Meetings

• It may be necessary to attend and contributeto various Practice and DHC meetings as appropriate.
• To attend regular meetings with your linemanager, feeding back on health checks delivery.
• Participate in educational events/meetings.

Person Specification

Attributes

• A positive approach to delivering an inclusive, high-quality service.
• Confident, calm and objective.
• Approachable.
• Calm under pressure.
• Highly motivated and enthusiastic

Qualifications

• Experience of working in an administrative/coordination role.
• Experience of working in a team.
• Experience of working in a research/clinical environment, management of staff and/or complex systems and processes

Skills

• Project management
• Ability to communicate effectively with a diverse group within the community
• Ability to maintain confidentiality at all times.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Excellent organisational, planning and problem-solving skills
• Ability to use information systems to manage data; ability to use Microsoft Office suite and patient record keeping systems to an Advanced level

Knowledge

• Understanding of healthcare processes and principles of clinical researach
• Knowledge of DHC as an organisation; our values, goals and objectives.
• Wide experience of liaising and negotiating with senior academic, clinical and management staff in the same and partner organisations.
• Knowledge of the Research Governance Framework and the processes involved with gaining NHS approval

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Depending on experience£26,530 - £32,324 per annum FTE