Research Support Officer

Job overview

Applications are invited for a Research Support Officer post to join the SATURN (Stimulant medication for ADHD and Tics – Understanding Response versus Non-stimulants) trial, which is hosted by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust – and led by Professor Chris Hollis at the University of Nottingham.

This project is a randomised trial that aims to understand whether stimulant or nonstimulant medication is most effective for treating children and young people who are experiencing both ADHD and tics.

SATURN will be set within child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and paediatric settings. Participants will be children/young people who have both ADHD and tics, and their parents/carers.

The post-holder will be based in Nottingham and will work alongside local clinical teams and members of the University of Nottingham including the Nottingham Clinical Trials Unit (NCTU) and Institute of Mental Health (IMH) to recruit participants and assess outcomes for the SATURN trial.

The post-holder will split their time between the IMH and the NCTU (with some flexibility around working from home) but final arrangements will be confirmed closer to the time once in post.

Main duties of the job

This is a fixed-term contract or secondment until 31 July 2027.

The post is 0.8 WTE / 30 hours per week.

The post will require travel across Trust sites within the East Midlands – the post-holder should hold a full UK driving license and have access to their own transport. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled individuals in line with the Equality Act 2010.

The successful applicant will be responsible for:

• Identify, recruit and consent participants
• Conduct clinical assessments and outcome measures (including an interview measure of tics the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS), in which specific training will be given)
• Follow up participants
• Carry out data collection and data entry
• Ensure the site meets its recruitment and follow-up targets and report any issues to the NCTU Trial Manager
• Coordinate local site activities and report site performance back to the NCTU as needed
• Assist with other research tasks as agreed with their line manager and NCTU Trial Management team

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post-holder will join the SATURN trial team, which comprises over ten people across multiple organisations. They will receive supervision from the Head of Research and Operations, IMH (at Institute of Mental Health). They will work together as a team with the SATURN Senior Trial Manager, (Bethany Gill, Nottingham Clinical Trials Unit), Trial Manager (Emily McGann, Nottingham Clinical Trials Unit) and be accountable to the Chief Investigator (Chris Hollis, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Nottingham).

The Institute of Mental Health is an innovative partnership between Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Nottingham. Bridging the gap between campus and clinic, we seek to transform the understanding and treatment of mental health. We have created a hub of innovative mental health research exploring new areas and ideas from active research grants of over £46 million. Delivering our research studies, we have over 30 professors and associate professors, working alongside patient and public research volunteers, PhD students, and external members.

One of the core responsibilities of the role is to identify and recruit participants to the SATURN trial, under the direction of their line manager and the SATURN trial team. This will involve meeting with clinicians, community mental health teams, primary care staff and service users to promote recruitment to the project.

Other key accountabilities of the role

Carrying out trial assessments of participants face-to-face or by telephone/video conference under the direction of the Chief Investigator, Principal Investigator and trial manager. Including ensuring treatments, assessment, follow-ups and data collection is coordinated and processed according to protocol-defined timelines.

Taking responsibility for local site coordination including maintenance of the site file and reporting site performance back to the clinical trials unit.

Supporting site study set-up including assisting with preparation of local documentation and approvals, attending training and cascading of training.

Providing on-going information and support for patients involved in the trial.

Entering data collected onto a project database according to the study protocol and in keeping with the Data Protection Act and prepare written reports of activity as required.

Recording and reporting adverse events/serious adverse events.

Please see the full job description and person specification for more information.

For further information or enquiries please contact

Dr Puja Kochhar, Consultant Neurodevelopmental Psychiatrist on [email protected]

Interviews will be held in person at the Institute of Mental Health.

Please note that this post does not meet the pay level required for a Skilled worker visa.

Successful applicants with no prior NHS experience would normally be placed at the bottom of the band in line with Agenda for Change. This salary is below the minimum salary required for sponsorship for a Skilled Worker / Health & Care visa. In these circumstances the Trust would not, therefore, be able to sponsor for a Skilled Worker / Health & Care visa.

Applicants requiring a Skilled Worker Visa can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship against the relevant criteria here https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £26.40 (standard) or £54.40 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first 2 months of employment.

You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. An annual fee of £16 per year applies.

A full UK driving license and vehicle for business use is required for this post; however reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled individuals in line with the Equality Act 2010.