Research Assistant

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust; Ilford; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare provider in Ilford is seeking a Research Assistant for the Let's Talk 2 Trial. This role involves liaising with clinical services to aid participant recruitment, conducting semi-structured interviews, and administering psychometric questionnaires. Candidates should have a BSc degree and at least one year of research experience, particularly in mental health settings. The post offers a salary range of £31,049 to £37,796 per annum pro rata plus a High Cost Area Supplement.

Benefits

High Cost Area Supplement

Comprehensive induction

Training opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience of working with service users who have mental and/or physical health conditions.
• A minimum of 1 year of experience working in a research environment.
• Analysing and presenting complex data to a high standard.

Responsibilities

• Liaise with clinical and voluntary services to aid recruitment for the study.
• Conduct semi-structured interview assessments with participants.
• Administer psychometric questionnaires for the trial.

Skills

Excellent IT skills

High level communication skills

Quantitative research skills

Qualitative research skills

Ability to build relationships

Ability to work under pressure

Education

BSc degree in relevant subject/discipline

MSc degree in relevant subject/discipline

GCP training in last 2 years

Tools

SPSS

Microsoft Word

Microsoft PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

Research Assistant

The closing date is 05 February 2026.

Research Assistant (BAND 5; 1.0 WTE; Fixed Term: 1 year in first instance)

Stigma and discrimination can have a serious impact on the wellbeing of people who experience psychosis and can impact personal recovery. Peer-delivered interventions that are designed to support people with psychosis who have been personally impacted by stigma show promise, but to date most trials have been small and have focussed on feasibility rather than efficacy of the peer interventions. Following the success of our NIHR funded feasibility trial, Let's Talk 1, the Let's Talk 2 Trial has now been funded by the NIHR through the Efficacy and Mechanisms Evaluation (EME) programme. The Let's Talk 2 trial is a 32-month randomised controlled trial, jointly led by Professor Tony Morrison and Dr Melissa Pyle at the Psychosis Research Unit. We aim to evaluate the possible benefits of a peer-delivered intervention called Let's Talk which aims to aid mental health disclosure decision making. Our four NHS sites are led by experts in the field of Psychosis and Psychosis Research, Peer Support and Stigma and Discrimination research. Dr Lisa Wood is the site lead for NELFT.

The successful applicant will be part of this national and international team and will gain high quality training in the field of psychosis and stigma research, be trained in the delivery of semi-structed psychosocial assessments and have the opportunity to work within a clinical trial that will advance the field of stigma research.

Main duties of the job

We are seeking to appoint a research assistant to work on the Let's Talk 2 Trial. The post is primarily responsible for liaison with clinical services and voluntary services across the footprint of the Trust to raise the profile of the study and aid recruitment of trial participants, conducting semi-structed interview assessments and administering other psychometric questionnaires with people with experience of psychosis and who report internalised stigma. The posts will be for a fixed term of 12 months initially.

You will have a good first degree (at least a 2:1). You will have some experience of working in a mental health setting, and an interest in psychosis/bipolar disorder and knowledge of audit, research design and data analysis is also essential. Experience of using a structured psychiatric interview would be advantageous.

About us

Starting with NELFT

NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop in sessions focussing in engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).

High Cost Area Supplement

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,714 to a maximum of £5,941).

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer closely to this when completing your application.

Use of AI

Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used, then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• BSc degree in relevant subject/discipline
• Excellent IT skills, experience using Microsoft Word, Microsoft Power point, and Excel, SPSS.
• MSc degree in relevant subject/discipline
• GCP training in last 2 years

Experience

• Experience of working with a range of service users who have mental and / or physical health conditions
• A minimum of 1 year of experience of working in a research environment displaying relevant and appropriate competencies and skills for the job.
• Analysing and presenting complex data to a high standard in the form of written reports
• Experience of working with multi-disciplinary research teams.
• Experience of delivering CTIMPs

Knowledge/Skill

• Knowledge of the governance and legislative framework for conducting clinical trials, including Research Governance Framework and Good Clinical Practice.
• High level communication skills (written and verbal).
• Good understanding of research trial methodology
• Use of standardised assessments
• Ability to work under pressure and to be able to prioritise, quickly assess and solve problems.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to build relationships
• Awareness of accountability of own and others roles within the study delivery team
• Ability to use own initiative when working independently and also to be able to work effectively as a member of a team.
• Quantitative and qualitative research skills

Other

• To be aware and demonstrate the Trust Values

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.

Employer name

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust

£31,049 to £37,796 a yearper annum pro rata plus HCAS