Clinical Research Nurse in London

Employer information

Guy's and St Thomas' is among the UK's busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. We provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in south London and as well as specialist care for patients from further afield including cancer, renal, orthopaedic, respiratory and cardiovascular services.

Guy's is home to the largest dental school in Europe and a £160 million Cancer Centre opened in 2016. As part of our commitment to provide care closer to home, in 2017 we also opened a cancer centre and a kidney treatment centre at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup. St Thomas' has one of the largest critical care units in the UK and one of the busiest emergency departments in London. It is also home to Evelina London Children's Hospital.

Evelina London cares for local children in Lambeth and Southwark and provides specialist services across south east England including cardiac, renal and critical care services. We lead a number of specialist service networks aiming to ensure children are treated locally where possible, but have access to specialist expertise when they need it. Our community services include health visiting, school nursing and support for families of children with long-term conditions.

Our adult community services teams deliver care at the heart of the local communities we serve, working in partnership with GPs, local authorities and other healthcare and voluntary sector organisations. Working with our partners in Lambeth and Southwark, we are focusing on new ways of working to improve care for local patients.

In February 2021 the Royal Brompton and Harefield joined Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, bringing together world-leading expertise in the care and research of heart and lung disease. Our merger provides a once in a generation opportunity to build a lasting, world-renowned heart and lung centre, providing the highest quality care for patients and conducting world-leading research.

We have a reputation for clinical excellence and high quality teaching and research. We are part of King's Health Partners, one of eight accredited UK academic health sciences centres. In partnership with King's College London we have dedicated clinical research facilities including an MHRA accredited Phase I clinical trials unit.

Patients are at the heart of everything we do and we pride ourselves on ensuring the best possible patient experience as well as safe, high quality care. We are proud to have one of the lowest mortality rates in the NHS. Following a comprehensive Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in 2019 we maintained our overall rating of 'good'. Our adult community services achieved a rating of 'outstanding'.

The commitment of our 23,500 staff is key to our success. We are one of the largest local employers and we aim to develop and support all our staff so they are able to deliver high quality, safe and efficient care. The 2019 NHS staff survey results show that we have one of the most engaged and motivated workforces in the NHS. We know this has a positive impact on the care provided to our patients.

We have one of the most ambitious capital investment programmes anywhere in the NHS.

Job overview

Are you dynamic, patient-centred and looking for an exciting challenge?

Why not consider joining the NIHR Clinical Research Facility (CRF) at Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust?

We have a fantastic opportunity for one Band 6 nurse to start or continue developing their clinical research skills. Previous experience of clinical research projects and SACT competency is desirable. You will need to be a team player and effective at managing your own time.

The role is a combination of clinical and research responsibilities delivered within a diverse research portfolio. You will be a point of contact for study principal investigators, sponsors and patients. This means effective communication and team working skills are essential.

To meet the needs of the service you will be required to work at two of our Units - the Guy's Phase I Unit and the St. Thomas' Research Facility.

Your work patterns will be agreed with your Line Manager. You will be expected to work the shift patterns necessary to ensure patient safety and delivery of clinical trials. Work patterns will include mostly day shifts, with occasional early/late shifts, and some nights and weekends as required.

Main duties of the job

Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate expert research nursing care and provide support to patients attending the Department who have been or have the potential to be recruited onto a clinical trial programme. The Research Nurse will play a key role in ensuring that any research undertaken within the department safeguards the well being of the patients and is conducted according to Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trial) Regulations 2004 and Amended Regulations 2006. In conjunction with the other members of the team, facilitate the production of good quality of research.

The research nurse will facilitate and aid in the recruitment of patients to ensure high quality clinical studies and trials which will require the nurse to work flexibly across the disciplines to ensure the successful working of the clinical research facility. They will also act as a patient advocate providing support and assistance as required and assist in the co-ordination and management of a portfolio of early phase translational clinical research.

The post holder will take responsibility for supervising the safe administration of experimental therapies, and for monitoring the expected and unexpected side effects of drugs and other treatment modalities used in these trials.

Working for our organisation

The National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Facility (CRF) for Experimental Medicine at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust provides state of the art facilitates and world-leading expertise to support the NHS, universities and industry in conducting groundbreaking experimental medicine studies.

The R&D Department employs a range of senior managers, technical managers, researchers, research support staff, research nurses and administrative staff. Based in the Tower Wing at Guy's Hospital, this diverse department has the breadth of knowledge and skills to ensure that this high level of research activity and associated research processes are managed smoothly, efficiently and collaboratively.

The Clinical Research Facility is comprised of five units located at our sites at Guys, St. Thomas' and the Royal Brompton.

With MHRA Phase I accreditation for our Guy's CRF unit, we are uniquely placed to deliver Phase I commercial and non-commercial patient focused studies. Our CRF is the only one in the UK with embedded Advanced Therapies Manufacturing (GMP) and immune monitoring platforms.

Person specification

Knowledge/Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Level 1 NMC Registered Nurse
• Educated to degree Level or above
• Relevant specialist course or equivalent experience (eg. SACT)

Desirable criteria

• Specific Clinical Research qualification

Previous Experience

Essential criteria

• Extensive experience of working within a ward environment as a qualified nurse
• Experience with data management including Excel Spreadsheets, eCRF and patient database systems
• Experience of effective multidisciplinary team working
• Familiar with Good Clinical Practice & Certification

Desirable criteria

• Post registration experience in a relevant specialty (SACT, oncology, research delivery)

Skills

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of research methodologies
• Knowledge of quality, standard setting, benchmarking and audit
• Competency in medication administration including IV drugs
• Organisation, problem solving and management skills
• Ability to perform clinical activities specific to speciality
• Competency in phlebotomy and cannulation

Additional Information

Essential criteria

• Flexible approach towards teamwork and patient/family involvement
• Enthusiastic, professional and accountable

Additional employer information

Guy's and St Thomas' celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitable according to their needs. We are actively committed to ensuring that no one who applies for a job, works or study's at the Trust, or accesses our services is discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion or belief, age, gender identity, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, or marital/civil partnership.

Applications are welcomed from applicants with a disability. We can make reasonable adjustments and offer support and advice in a variety of ways throughout the application process. Equality of opportunity is our policy.

As an organisation we are committed to developing our services in ways that best suit the needs of our patients. This means that some staff groups will increasingly be asked to work a more flexible shift pattern so that we can offer services in the evenings or at weekends.

Flexible working

We are committed to supporting all employees to achieve a healthy work life balance and to work in a way that is best for them and our patients. We will consider all requests to work flexibly, taking in to account the individual's personal circumstances as well the needs of the service. We encourage all prospective applicants to discuss their individual circumstances with the recruiting manager as part of the on-boarding process.

Due to recent changes in the UK immigration rules which affect Skilled Worker Visas, Global Business Mobility, Higher Skill Level and Increased Salary Thresholds, please ensure that you are able to meet the requirements to live and work in the UK before applying. Further information about eligibility is available on the UK Government website.

Your e-mail address is important to us - We communicate to all job applicants via the e-mail address which has been provided on the application form. Please ensure that you check your e-mail on a regular basis.

Please apply for this post by clicking "Apply Online Now."

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.

Documents to download

• Job Description (PDF, 192.7KB)
• Person specification (PDF, 96.7KB)
• Functional Requirement Form - Clinical Research Nurse (PDF, 408.6KB)