Clinical Studies Assistant

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust

An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Research and Development (R&D) team for a Clinical Studies Assistant (CSA) post to support, deliver, and drive forward research in the Trust.

Band 4 - £26,530-£29,114 per annum - full time, 37.5 hours per week. Offered on a fixed-term / secondment basis until 31 March 2026.

You will be based with the R&D team on a home and remote working basis, and will work closely with various clinical teams across the Trust, providing dedicated research support.

As part of the role, you will support mental health research across many specialities; Adult/Older People's Mental Health, Learning Disability, Children and Young People, Dementia and Neuropsychiatry.

Good Clinical Practice and study-specific training will be offered as part of the role.

Main duties of the job

This post is crucial to ensuring the efficient delivery of research activities involving Trust staff, service users, and carers. The post will include research recruitment, coordination, and delivery of National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) portfolio studies and clinical trials (local, national, and international), as required.

The role will enable you to become involved in different types of studies, including genetic studies, questionnaires, and interventional and randomised controlled trials.

About us

As a Trust we remain bold and ambitious with plans for both service and system collaborative transformation over the coming years to improve the health and wellbeing of our local people through high quality care.

We pride ourselves on ensuring our team has their wellbeing put first and as such provide a range of wellness opportunities including flexible working.

We are committed to the Greener NHS national ambition to becoming the world's first 'carbon net zero' national health system by 2045. As part of this, sustainability is embedded in our strategy as one of our four key enablers. In order to deliver on this commitment, we recognise that we need a workforce that is as passionate as we are about achieving these goals, for the benefit of our service users, workforce, local communities and the planet alike. For 2024/2025, we have launched our "Proud to be Green" engagement campaign which is aligned to the targets set out in our Green Plan. As a Trust, you can be assured that we will commit to supporting you in working towards our net zero ambitions, set out in our Green Plan, through our sustainability programme.

The Trust is committed to ensuring that a diverse workforce is representative and inclusive at all levels. We would very much welcome applications from all under-represented groups including women, people with disabilities, people from global majority backgrounds, and those from the lesbian, gay, bi and trans communities.

Job responsibilities

This exciting role will help develop and increase opportunities for service users, carers, and staff to participate in research. The post will ensure that all research activities involving Trust staff, services, and data are fully compliant with the UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research EU Clinical Trials Directive and Information Governance.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Support delivery and coordination of NIHR & commercially adopted studies across the Trust;
• Identify and recruit potential participants for NIHR & commercially adopted studies according to specific protocols and guidelines;
• Read, interpret and contribute to the implementation of research and trial protocols under the guidance and supervision of study teams, senior staff and Principal Investigators;
• Performing Phlebotomy tasks, including the collection of saliva samples;
• Communicate and maintain relationships with internal or external persons or services in a professional manner that positively promotes the service of the R&D and Trust generally;
• Support and assist consultants, clinicians, and nursing and allied health professional staff across the Trust in the safe implementation of research and trial protocols and delegated tasks;
• Supports planning and organisation of research and innovation events.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Diploma in Health and Social Care (NVQ Level 3), plus additional relevant healthcare and / or research training to diploma level (or equivalent) or relevant healthcare and / or research short courses
• Mental Health Certificate

Experience

• Research, audit or evaluation experience
• Experience of working in a relevant health or social care setting
• Experience of working in an NHS mental health research setting
• Experience of working in an NHS setting with mental health service user contact

Knowledge

• Phlebotomy training
• Competence in using standard PC software packages (Powerpoint, Word, Excel, email);
• Completion of Good Practice Training

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.