Research Assistant

NHS; Oxford; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization in the UK is seeking a full-time Research Assistant to support the SINAPPS2 trial. This position entails working within a dynamic research team, conducting assessments, managing data, and liaising with various stakeholders. The role is fixed-term until March 2027 and requires travel across the UK. Candidates should have a degree in psychology or a related field and experience in NHS mental health services. Competitive benefits and opportunities for career progression are available.

Benefits

27 days annual leave

NHS Discount

Competitive pension scheme

Cycle to work scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Experience conducting clinical assessments with people with mental health conditions.
• Experience of research in NHS mental health services.
• Knowledge of clinical trial methodology.

Responsibilities

• Support the SINAPPS2 trial and assist PIs at trial sites.
• Screen, recruit, and assess trial participants.
• Manage research administration systems and maintain documentation.

Skills

Excellent organisational skills

Strong attention to detail

Excellent communication skills

Experience with NHS mental health services

Education

Degree in psychology or related field

Tools

MS Word

Excel

Access

Job description

Do you want to develop your research skills further and have patient-facing experience/experience in healthcare research? Are you committed to working in line with good clinical practice to promote and deliver ground-breaking research and novel interventions? This role could be for you!

We are recruiting for a full-time Research Assistant to join us focusing on the day-to-day undertaking of research and research administrative support of the Early Psychosis Research Group multi-centre research projects. The role will include liaising with research teams, multiple NHS organisations, Clinical Research Facilities, and NHS and University based clinicians and researchers.

You’ll be working closely within the busy and dynamic research team assisting the project manager and Principal Investigator (PI) at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford and will be required to travel nationally with possible overnight stay. A requirement of this post is the ability to travel independently, therefore access to a car and full driving license or an alternative means of travel is desirable.

This is a fixed term contract until 31 March 2027 and can be offered as a secondment opportunity.

Main duties of the job

Your main responsibility will be to support the SINAPPS2 trial. SINAPPS2 is a randomised double-blinded placebo controlled clinical trial of investigational medicinal products testing the efficacy and safety of immunotherapy (IVIG and rituximab) in people with acute psychosis and anti-neuronal membrane antibodies. More info at www.sinapps.org.uk

In this varied role, you’ll screen, recruit and assess trial participants, assist PIs the trial sites. This includes home visits of potential participants and meeting with their family and mental health clinical teams. You’ll manage research administration systems including obtaining the requisite permissions, maintaining research documents files, supporting research and clinical teams and sites nationally, assisting in research data collection and management, reporting, and disseminating findings.

There are connected studies to SINAPPS2, which are studying the possible immunological basis of mental illness using a range of methods, such as lumbar punctures. This role will also support these related studies and researcher teams in Oxford and NHS trusts across the UK. For this, you’ll need a working knowledge of study protocols and their application in practice, alongside a working knowledge of and compliance with the local, national and international research regulations.

About us

Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application please read the "candidate guide to making an application" and ensure your supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses any essential criteria.

As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and Northeast Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people's homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: "Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team"

Our values are: "Caring, safe and excellent"

We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:

• Excellent opportunities for career progression
• Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
• 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
• NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
• Competitive pension scheme
• Lease car scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Mental Health First Aiders
• Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists apply)
• Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team

Job responsibilities

Work closely with investigators, NHS/local authority, mental health services, patients with psychosis and their families to support the successful delivery of research studies, particularly SINAPPS2 trial Work and liaise with large numbers of study teams and clinicians in busy NHS mental health organisations Identifying, recruiting and assessing research study participants including follow-up assessments Support high levels of retention of participants and clinical staff through regular communication including telephone, mail, social media, bulletins/ newsletters. Contribute to the design of research materials and drafting applications for regulatory approvals Management of online study databases, complex and large databases, adhering to strict data security guidelines. Collect, analyse, summarise and present quantitative data from a variety of sources and over multiple time-points. There are weekly recruitment and database updates and monthly targets. Management of the project specimen storage, maintaining specimen records and supporting the study laboratory team Day-to-day research administration related to projects such as updating and the filing of research documentation in line with good clinical practice and research governance, distributing study kits to research groups, updating study records and entering and checking research and recruitment data Support the successful running of online data collection, including responding to requests for support from study sites. Manage own research and administrative activities, within guidelines provided by senior colleagues and follow standard operational procedures Contribute to wider project planning, including ideas for new research projects Contribute to publications, present data at conferences, and represent the research group at meetings Contribute to discussions and share research findings with colleagues in partner organisations, and research groups Quickly learn the technical skills required to support research studies and online data records e.g. quickly gain good understanding of functionality, quickly able to test functionality as required Assist Trial Manager and Principal Investigator with other activities as they arise to facilitate successful delivery of research projects

We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the supporting statement element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application.

The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.

We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their application. We kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of their experience and must take care to ensure the use of AI tools does not generate an application that does not accurately reflect their knowledge, skills and values.

Person Specification

Qualifications and training

• Degree in psychology or related field

Knowledge and Experience

• Experience of research in NHS mental health services
• Working experience with patients with severe mental health illness, their families and NHS clinical teams
• Experience of conducting clinical assessments/rating scales with people with mental health conditions (e.g PANSS, BPRS
• Experience of research of psychosis
• Experience/knowledge of clinical trial methodology

Tecnical Expertise/Competence

• Excellent organisational skills and accurate record keeping, with a strong attention to detail. Proven ability to meet deadlines, to execute a project to completion at a high level and strong perseverance.
• Excellent range of IT skills (including MS Word, Excel and Access). Advance use of Excel.
• Experience with management of large-scale datasets and research data management systems
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills (including over the telephone/ Teams, and via email)
• Experience of work with different stakeholders including patients, their family members, doctors, nurses, administrative staff, researchers, and Research Governance teams.

Motivation, commitment and values

• Willingness to travel nationally with possible overnight stay

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

Oxford Health NHS Trust

Address

Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford

Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford