Research Assistant

We are seeking an enthusiastic and highly motivated individual to join us in ensuring our service users, carers and staff are given opportunities to take part in national research projects. Responsibilities include facilitating data collection, engaging clinical teams, and direct recruitment of our service users, carers and staff. The role of Research Assistant is a progressive post based in Leeds, working within a well-established research team supporting national portfolio research. There are national and local goals to increase the diversity and opportunities to access high quality research studies therefore Research Assistants have a key role in facilitating this within the NHS.
The main tasks will be to increase participation of NHS staff, service users and carers in National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) portfolio studies. Studies may be led by clinicians, a variety of Universities across the country or commercial research organisations. Tasks may involve screening participants for eligibility, data collection such as completing psychometric measures, or interviews with participants and ensuring the studies meet their local recruitment to time and target goals.
The Research Assistant may also be assigned other duties in connection with research projects identified by the CSO, RPM, and the Yorkshire & Humber Clinical Research Network.
The Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) is the main provider of Mental Health and Learning Disability services in Leeds. We also provide specialist inpatient services in York and some highly specialised services across the country. As a teaching trust with strong links to local universities, we are a centre of excellence for teaching, research and development.
There are many benefits of working for LYPFT including fantastic employee wellbeing support, 27 - 33 days annual leave, flexible working and remote working arrangements, the NHS Pension Scheme (LYPFT pays 20.6% into your scheme each year), coaching, support and opportunities for career development and training and education support alongside a range of exclusive discounts and payment schemes including for cars, extra leave days and more organisations such as Blue Light Card, Health Service Discounts and NHS Discount Offers.
We also have an incredible bank department, offering variety of roles in nursing, allied health professions, healthcare support worker and administration clerical. Permanent employees are automatically added to bank. Bank-only workers can choose the hours they want to work and will have the opportunity to gain additional experience, keep skills up to date, develop new ones and earn extra money without having to commit to a permanent role. For an informal discussion or more information please contact the teambankstaffingdepartment.lypft@nhs.net
The Research Assistant will be required to verbally communicate study information to potential participants (service users, carers or staff), both face to face and via telephone, in order for them to provide informed consent to participate. The role requires the collection of data from participants, sometimes including lengthy (2-3 hours) and complex clinical assessments. The Research Assistant will be expected to work on multiple different NIHR studies at any given time.
On occasion, studies may require Research Assistants to take blood, therefore Phlebotomy training or willingness to attend this training may be required where appropriate.
The post holder will be required to work on their own initiative in a range of situations and lone work on research visits. They will be required to assess factors such as participant eligibility for studies from clinical information and assess mental capacity. They will need to problem solve within the parameters of the protocol in areas such as low recruitment, dis-engagement, loss of follow up, withdrawal etc.
The Research Assistant will contribute to working with national study teams to ensure studies are run effectively at local level. This will include ensuring studies run to time and target by identifying, recruiting and supporting participants with support from the CSO, ensuring all local data is accurate and up to date, and being a main point of contact for national study teams, providing regular updates as required.
The post holder will be required to drive or travel to other Trust sites and participants’ homes for visits, and to conferences, meetings and training in other parts of Yorkshire and nationally.
A large proportion of time will be spent working at a computer using standard keyboard skills, MS programmes such as Word, Excel, and various data entry programmes. They will be required to keep a complete and accurate record of each participant entering a study and ensure this is correctly mapped within the local and national research databases to the recruiting site.
The post holder will be responsible for the collection and storage of data, data entry, reporting to the study team, completing Clinical Research Forms and answering any data queries. These tasks must be completed in line with Good Clinical Practice, information governance procedures and General Data Protection Regulations.