Senior Research Nurse

An exciting opportunity has arisen at The Royal Marsden to work within the Head and Neck unit as a Senior Research nurse. The unit is recognised worldwide for its strength in diagnosing and treating cancers of the head and neck. The Royal Marsden has now also become the world’s first International Centre for Recurrent Head & Neck Cancer (IReC). IReC has an ambitious aim to create a centre of excellence and set international standards in the curative treatment, palliation, and supportive care of recurrent head and neck cancers.

This role is required to provide senior clinical leadership and operational oversight in response to increasing recruitment activity, expansion of research treatment capacity, and the growing complexity of our portfolio, particularly within early-phase and innovative therapeutic studies.
The successful applicant will support the cross-site leadership that is necessary to safely deliver the portfolio, contribute to the ongoing development of the research nursing workforce, and provide the specialist expertise required for current and upcoming studies.

Main duties of the job

The senior research nurse works as a self-directed practitioner, with a key role to play in the organisation and management of clinical trials within the unit. These trials may be related to anti-cancer treatment (e.g. chemotherapy, radiotherapy, biological therapy, gene therapy or surgery), symptom management or another aspect of cancer care, such as screening. The post holder will role-model and ensure high standards of clinical practice in accordance with the principles of GCP and have excellent communication skills. They will take responsibility for the co-ordination and management of a clinical research portfolio, collaborating with key personnel to ensure continued care and support for patients involved in clinical trials.

The post holder will also be required to provide direct line management and support more junior staff members, assisting them to develop their clinical research skills thorough education and training.

Working for our organisation

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals – one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey – as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.

At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.

At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information on this role, please see the attached detailed Job Description and Person Specification:

• To assess and evaluate the progress of on-going clinical trials and research undertaken in the unit, maintaining an accurate account of the status of the projects and to regularly update the department on the status.
• To assist with the organisation and implementation of clinical trials and liaising closely with the multi-disciplinary team to facilitate a co-ordinated approach to patient care.
• To ensure that proposed research projects for which the post-holder has responsibility are registered and reviewed by the Trust’s R & D department and Research Ethics Committee (REC) prior to commencement and that updates and amendments are reported in a timely fashion.
• To liaise with pharmaceutical sponsors regarding feasibility and implementation aspects of proposed clinical trials.
• To liaise with the multidisciplinary team to promote and oversee the appropriate referral and recruitment of patients to research trials within the unit for which the post holder has a designated responsibility.
• To ensure that all ICH GCP required documentation is kept in a clearly trackable system and is stored in an appropriate manner for the appropriate length of time.

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

• NMC registration
• Post registration experience in cancer care / acute care environment
• Basic computer literacy
• Research methods education
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development
• Post registration oncology qualification or equivalent relevant qualification
• MSc or studying at relevant level
• Competence in research orientated PC software (Access, Excel, SPSS)

Experience

• Experience as a senior staff nurse working in oncology nursing or other relevant area
• Personal and Leadership Management experience
• Experience as a senior staff nurse in oncology nursing
• Evidence of innovative practice, service development or change management
• Previous experience in clinical speciality of post applied for e.g. head and neck oncology

Skills Abilities/knowledge

• Proven experience of team leadership and team building initiatives
• Ability to appraise junior staff through performance review
• Advanced organisational skills and ability to managed multiple projects at various stages of development and organisation
• Excellent cross-disciplinary /interagency communication skills and ability to facilitate collaborative working relationships
• Confident and articulate
• Ability to innovate and respond to change
• Able to work unsupervised
• Ability to work under pressure to meet service and patient priories
• Computer literate in Microsoft outlook, office, word, excel and PowerPoint
• Ability to initiate and drive original research

The Royal Marsden values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are working to create a workplace that enables all staff to reach their full potential. We are committed to this because we know that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even greater positive impact for the people we serve.

Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications. We advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment. Please ensure your information is accurate to avoid errors with processing your application

All applicants will be contacted by email to the address supplied on your application. Applicants are advised to check their email accounts regularly and to ensure that email filters are set to allow our emails.

Flu Vaccination – What We Expect of our Staff

At The Royal Marsden we have an immune compromised patient population who we must protect as much as we can against the flu virus. Each year, seasonal flu affects thousands of people in the UK. Occurring mainly in winter, it is an infectious respiratory disease capable of producing symptoms ranging from those similar to a common cold, through to very severe or even fatal disease.

The wellbeing of our staff and patients is of the upmost importance to us, and it is the expectation of The Royal Marsden that all patient-facing staff have an annual flu vaccination, provided free of charge by the Trust.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.