Research Co-ordinator

Nightingale Valley Practice (NVP) is excited to be recruiting a dedicated research co-ordinator into our established research team to support expansion of our academic research delivery work, and growth into commercial research delivery. NVP has a track record of over 10 years of academic research delivery alongside our core NHS work and this opportunity marks our creation of a dedicated research team to lead on the next phase of our evolution in this area. As a primary care organisation we can bring to our patients' doorsteps the opportunity to participate at the cutting edge of the development of the treatments of the future. Through this, we fulfil one of our organisational vision statements, 'to contribute to innovation in healthcare through our research and early adoption of new digital technology'.

Main duties of the job

• You will work alongside our established research team to co-ordinate the team's activity and ensure successful delivery of the studies we collaborate with.
• The role will be dynamic and exciting as you help to deliver on our first commercial research studies with their emphasis on speed, precision and responsiveness.
• You will act as the first point of contact for commercial study sponsors, and with the NIHR's South West Central Regional Research Delivery Network, and play a key role in organising the studies we deliver from beginning to end.
• You will oversee the administrative processes that keep the team moving forward and ensure our collective success.
• There will be the opportunity to exercise and develop leadership abilities as we grow our team.

The successful candidate will need a high level of motivation, organisational ability, and excellent communication skills to build relationships within the team, with our patients, and with commercial sponsors.

About us

• Vision: To be an outstanding practice dedicated to promoting and caring for the health and wellbeing of our whole community.
• Vision statement: Provide compassionate, high-quality, safe, patient-centred care and empower patients to take an active role in their health and care.
• Make best use of our resources to deliver a financially and environmentally sustainable service that allows us to invest in patient care and in our workforce.
• Be an uplifting place to work where all staff feel valued and supported and have opportunities to develop and reach their potential.
• Contribute to innovation in healthcare through our research and early adoption of new digital technology.
• Create an engaging and inspiring learning environment for healthcare professionals and make a positive contribution to the future primary care workforce.
• Work collaboratively with our neighbourhood and wider system to reduce health inequalities.
• Actively engage and involve patients to help shape the service we provide and ensure they have a positive experience.

Our research team consists of lead GP and partner Dr. Chris Palmer, ANP Olive Wood and GP assistant Jessie Hawkes. Dr. Katharine Alsop, former lead, continues to hold the Principal Investigator role for many of our portfolio of academic studies and has driven NVPs success in the delivery of studies to time and target for over 10 years. We are excited to be entering a new chapter with an expanding team and focus on growth into commercial research delivery.

Job responsibilities

• Assimilate study protocols and co-ordinate the wider research team's efforts by scheduling and delegation of tasks.
• Conduct searches on the EMIS platform to identify potential study participants.
• Contribute to the delivery of individual studies, including acting as a contact point for participants, assisting with data collection, and completion of other tasks as necessary, under the direction of the Principal Investigator, sub-investigator or nurse lead for that study.
• Ensure research equipment is maintained and calibrated in accordance with manufacturer's instructions, and track capacity of storage requirements.
• Organise wider logistical elements of study delivery including the monitoring, restocking and disposal of consumables.
• Create and maintain databases and trackers to ensure efficient scheduling and running of patient visits, and administrative tasks including expense claims.
• Support the wider team to organise and deliver site visits including the preparation of consumables, the processing, storage and onward shipping of study samples.
• Support research team members to maintain sponsor IT platform access as needed.
• Track and manage financial claims with the NIHR's South West Central Regional Research Delivery Network, and commercial sponsors.
• Act as administrator for the research team's activities including calendar management and scheduling of meetings, participant visits, and sponsor visits.
• Ensure documentation is accurate, organised and auditable at all times, and archived in accordance with regulations.
• Contribute to study documentation and notes to files as needed.
• Act as the central point of contact for internal and external queries.
• Respond promptly and effectively to queries from the wider research team, study sponsors, NIHR contacts, and regulatory bodies.
• Facilitate sponsor site visits, ensuring appropriate response to data queries, collation of adverse event reports, and preparation for data locks.
• Develop and maintain the public facing profile of our organisation's research activities including maintaining an up to date and accurate profile of the studies we collaborate with and opportunities for participation.
• Work with our PCN's Community Engagement Lead to identify opportunities to widen research participation in historically less well represented demographic groups.
• Compile regular reports on the team's research activity for presentation to the practice's partners and management team.
• Contribute to the oversight of the team's compliance with regulatory responsibilities and specific protocol requirements.
• Contribute to security in data handling such that it meets sponsor and regulatory requirements throughout the study lifecycle.
• Assist the wider team with equipment monitoring activities including temperature checks.
• Contribute to the development of policies, protocols and standard operating procedures that ensure compliant, standardised activity across the research team.
• Oversee maintenance of up to date training logs, delegation logs and staff records including GCP training and research CVs, for all members of the research team across all research activities.
• Participate in ongoing training and development to keep an up to date knowledge of regulatory responsibilities and best practice.

Person Specification

• Qualifications: Higher education achievement in health sciences, public health, business administration or equivalent experience.
• Skills and attributes:
• Demonstrable organisation and time-management skills.
• A high degree of self-motivation and the ability to exercise initiative when working with relative autonomy.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to be concise and precise but also amiable and with the ability to quickly form constructive working relationships.
• Integrity and reliability in all actions.
• Proficiency in using applications of the Microsoft Office Suite.
• Proficiency in using EMIS and other research specific software platforms.
• The ability to use Artificial Intelligence in practice to improve workflow processes.
• Experience:
• Experience working in research delivery in any setting.
• Experience working in the delivery of academic and commercial research in a primary care setting.
• Experience acting in a co-ordinator role for the delivery of healthcare research.

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.