Senior Research Nurse - South London CRDC (LGT)

LEWISHAM AND GREENWICH NHS TRUST; Greater London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A local healthcare provider is seeking an experienced Senior Clinical Research Nurse to join their team. This role involves managing the recruitment of patients for clinical trials and ensuring compliance with research protocols. Ideal candidates should be Registered Nurses with extensive experience in the NHS and a background in clinical research. The position offers a dynamic working environment with opportunities to impact patient care through research initiatives.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse with significant post-registration clinical experience.
• Extensive experience working within the NHS and in clinical trials management.
• Ability to manage staff performance and understanding of research governance standards.

Responsibilities

• Screen and recruit participants for a portfolio of research studies.
• Lead clinical oversight of the CRDC spoke site activities.
• Ensure compliance with clinical trial protocols and trust policies.

Skills

Clinical trials delivery

Patient recruitment

Cross-site collaboration

Research governance

Education

Registered Nurse

Post-graduate qualification in clinical research

Tools

MS Office applications

Clinical trial software

Job description

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Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.

Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup.

We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 - the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.

To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over staying comfortable; Listening over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone. You can read more about our visions and values here

Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as "good" or "outstanding" in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.

Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.

LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King\'s College London\'s GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.

We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.

Job overview

Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust is developing a spoke site for the newly formed South London Commercial Research Delivery Centre (CRDC). Guy's & St Thomas' is the hub site for commercial research within this new partnership. The South London CRDC will act as a regional hub for commercial research delivery to improve recruitment and set-up of clinical trials and facilitate improved access to research for underserved populations by making research more accessible within local communities.

We have an opportunity for an experienced Research Nurse to join the CRDC team. The Senior Clinical Research Nurse will have a key role in supporting the set-up and coordination of LGT as a spoke site in the new CRDC. Based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich and working across all Trust and CRDC sites as required, this role will be embedded within the Trust's R&D team. The postholder will be responsible for delivering a range of commercial research from the National Institute for Health (NIHR) Research Portfolio, working with study teams, investigators and CRDC colleagues. The post holder will be responsible for the screening, identification and recruitment of patients to clinical research studies in specialities including cancer, haematology, dermatology and HIV.

This is a cross site role and the post holder will be expected to travel across all Trust and South London CRDC sites as a core element of the role.

Main duties of the job

• Assist the Director for Research & Development, Head of Research, R&D Operations Manager and R&D Delivery Managers in the delivery of the Trust research strategy and CRDC objectives.

• Leadership and clinical oversight of LGT CRDC spoke site, research activities and the commercial research portfolio and support with developing performance reports and study updates.

• Promotion of research to build capability and capacity to increase research activity across the trust.

• Deliver NIHR portfolio recruitment targets.

• Ensure robust research governance processes are in place.

• Leadership and clinical oversight of the RRDN clinical research portfolio and support with development of business cases and bids to increase funding for research opportunities.

• To line manage the research delivery team and provide specialist support to the wider body of research-active staff across the Trust.

• To develop interdisciplinary clinical management protocols and work within them.

Working for our organisation

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

1. Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
2. Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
3. Improving the experience of staff with disability
4. Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
5. Making equalities mainstream

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Responsible for screening and recruiting participants to a portfolio of NIHR, non-NIHR and industry led research studies. This includes both randomised clinical trials and other high quality research studies. The role will involve working closely with multidisciplinary clinical teams.

• Act as a patient advocate enabling patients to make informed choices concerning their involvement in the clinical trials and ensuring advice and information is provided.

• Ensure there is sufficient skill mix of staff for patient safety during clinical trials and ensuring that they are carried out within the trust's policies and clinical trial protocol.

• Carry out all relevant clinical trial related activities without direct supervision including medication administration, venepuncture, cannulation and blood sample processing, ECG's and vital sign monitoring of clinical trial participants ensuring that they are carried out as per study protocol, within the trust's policies and in accordance with research governance and regulations.

• Conduct trials in accordance with International Conference on Harmonisation of Good Clinical Practice (ICH GCP) and Data Protection Act.

• Ensure that written informed consent is obtained prior to conducting any research related activities.

• Maintain all data and case report forms relating to clinical trials in accordance with the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials Regulations) Incorporating International Conference on Harmonisation of Good Clinical Practice (ICH GCP).

• Act as an ongoing resource and support to patients and their relatives, explaining all aspects of clinical trials and relevant treatments options.

• Provide and receive complex information in the process of explaining study involvement, including discussing alternative treatments, benefits and risks.

• Monitor and assist in the management and reporting of adverse events according to the study protocol and reporting requirements to maintain patient safety.

• Deliver research according to time and target as required by the sponsor, according to the protocol and the CDRC objectives.

• Ensure that research practices comply with trust policies and procedures.

• Maintain accurate records in clinical trial documents and patient notes.

• To act as Principal Investigator for suitable studies when required.

• To be responsible for and manage the portfolio clinical research projects, collaborating with key personnel throughout the network to ensure continued care and support for patients involved in clinical trials.

• To review research protocols and assess feasibility.

• To ensure that all staff involved in research in the Trust adheres to guidelines around informed consent and Good Clinical Practice.

• To consult with principal investigators (PIs), research organisations and industry in the development and execution of research protocol.

• To oversee the administration of clinical research throughout the project life cycle, from study set-up, initiation through to closure and archiving.

• Maintain accurate documentation in clinical trial documents and patient notes.

• Ensure that clinical trials are effectively archived as required.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Registered Nurse
• GCP
• Masters level or equivalent experience
• Post-graduate qualification in clinical research or equivalent

Experience

Essential criteria

• Significant post registration clinical experience
• Extensive experience working within the NHS
• Experience of working within the UK regulatory landscape including IRA, NRES, MHRA, HTA
• Significant experience of clinical trials delivery and management (industry or NHS).
• Experience of leading commercial clinical trials
• Experience of working with academic institutions, industry sponsors and research teams
• Experience of explaining complex concepts to service users in a clear and simplified manner
• Experience of delivering training around R&D
• Experience of staff development and line management responsibilities
• Experience in liaising with a variety of stakeholders - service users and carers, researchers, clinical and non-clinical staff at all levels with varying levels of research expertise
• An understanding of the needs of service users who may wish to be involved in research
• Experience of effective MDT working
• Significant experience of working with service users in a patient facing role
• Experience of financial managment and forecasting trials

Desirable criteria

• Project management experience
• Lead an audit or research study
• Presentation and publishing experience
• Caseload management
• Leading a service

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of research practices, methodologies, clinical trials delivery and the overall research agenda in the NHS.
• Understanding of the National Institute for Health Research, its funding programmes and the national research landscape
• Understanding of Research Governance standards and relevant statutory policy and regulations, eg. EU Directive on Clinical Trials, Good Clinical Practice, Human Tissue Act, Mental Capacity Act
• A comprehensive understanding of the legal, ethical and professional issues surrounding consent to trials.
• Understanding of R&D performance measures within an NHS context.
• Demonstrable ability to work effectively within a complex regulatory environment.
• Demonstratable ability to manage staff performance and disciplinary issues effectively
• Excellent organisation, communication, writing and presentation skills
• Ability to work to agreed deadlines, with strong organisational and time management skills.
• Ability to construct and maintain databases and analyse electronic information.
• Highly proficient in all major MS Office applications and bespoke research data management software applications.
• Interpersonal skills
• Highly developed clinical skills including venepuncture, ECG and vital sign monitoring
• Specialist knowledge of research techniques, analysis and use of information; specialist knowledge of specific clinical conditions underpinned by degree and post-graduate level training, experience to master's level equivalent.

Desirable criteria

• Change management
• Statistics and report writing

We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.

As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women\'s staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.

Please note, not all roles will meet the criteria for a skilled worker visa.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Application numbers

To ensure fairness and manageable shortlisting processes, some vacancies may have an application cap. This means the vacancy will close once a set number of applications have been received even if this happens before the advertised closing date.

We recommend applying as early as possible to avoid missing out. All applications received before the cap is reached will be considered equally and assessed against the person specification.
Documents to download

• Job Description and Candidate Info Pack (PDF, 312.7KB)
• Working at LGT (PDF, 4.2MB)
• Visa and Certificate of Sponsorship Information for Applicants (PDF, 3.8MB)
• Candidates Guidance on Applying (PDF, 175.2KB)
• Candidate Guidance on the use of AI (PDF, 3.8MB)