Practice and Research Nurse

Job Summary
This role is responsible for the delivery of evidence-based nursing services, working as part of the practice multi-disciplinary team, delivering care within their scope of practice to the entitled patient population. Initially this post is for one year, but may be extended.

Working autonomously, the Practice Nurse will be responsible for a number of clinical areas such as public health and screening programmes, including infection prevention and control, chronic disease management, immunisations, health promotion and prevention, well man/woman clinics and cervical screening. The post-holder will be an integral part of the general practice team, as well as supporting the wider practice nurse network and multi-disciplinary team.

In a research capacity, the post holder will support the research teams in clinical trials. This will include assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating research-nursing care and providing support to patients who have been or have the potential to be recruited into a clinical trial programme. This includes ensuring the clinical trial has full approval to proceed, collecting data, interviewing, supporting, monitoring patients, and data entry. Clinical aspects of the role will include phlebotomy, analysis of blood specimens, drug administration and clinical observation. The role includes close liaison with clinicians, data managers, and outpatient and inpatient staff.

Main duties of the job
On a daily basis, you will provide routine nursing care to patients in accordance with clinical based evidence and you will be responsible for all aspects of the research process including assessing patient suitability for trials; screening and recruiting patients; obtaining informed consent, performing study procedures to include venepuncture and cannulation and managing study data. A key aspect of this role is supporting the patient/participant and their family throughout the above research process.

The key elements of our Research strategy include increasing the number of studies, increasing patient participation in clinical studies and ensure that studies recruit to time and target. You will work under the management of the Research Teams but will need to have excellent organisational skills. It is also essential that you can plan and prioritise your workload in order to meet performance targets and deadlines.

The aim of the role of the Research Nurse is to enhance the overall delivery of clinical research within the sites by providing support to the existing research team, by assisting with clinical and administrative activities related to clinical trials, from initiation to termination, in accordance with Good Clinical Practice guidelines.

About us
Danes Camp Medical Centre hosts the Primary Care Research Hub, a consortium of GP practices across Northamptonshire in which we actively contributing to medical advancements and improved patient outcomes. Led by Dr. Zafar, an experienced Chief Investigator and Principal Investigator for numerous portfolio and commercial studies, the hub has a diverse portfolio of ongoing and new studies. The team has a strong track record of active participation in NIHR-adopted research studies, successful grant acquisitions, and meaningful contributions to the scientific community.

Danes Camp & The Parks Medical Practice is based over six sites in Northampton and has a combined list size of 38,000 patients. There are site managers based at each practice to oversee the day to day running and work with the GP partners and patients to ensure smooth running of the practices. We are a dispensing practice and work closely with the Primary Care Network to provide care for all our patients The practice is a teaching practice, provides NHS and Private Surgery for patients and is innovative and forward thinking and will continue to engage with the local areas to provide services needed for the practice population.

Job responsibilities
Practice Nursing

• Consult with patients and their families to undertake assessments of patient need
• Support in the long-term condition management within the organisation, including being involved with quality improvement and assurance initiatives
• Implement and embed an effective care management programme for the frail and housebound patients registered with the organisation
• Support public health and screening programmes, including immunisations, vaccinations, and cervical screening and also provide opportunistic health promotion advice
• Embed population health management approaches within general practice, targeting health inequalities and improving access
• Provide routine nursing care to patients in accordance with clinical based evidence, NICE and the NSF
• Support new-to-practice nurses and other healthcare professionals within the organisation
• Teach and advise patients and their families on how to manage their condition

Clinical Trial Management

• Obtain informed consent from participants for CTIMP studies as instructed by Principal Investigator (PI) and within parameters of the protocol.
• Participate in Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training.
• Support participants considering taking part in interventional and observational research with the decision-making process, ensuring that their information needs are met sensitively and that they have a full understanding of the research study and its requirements.
• To ensure all Adverse Events are reported in line with the Adverse Events Reporting policy.
• Ensuring all reporting to regulatory bodies and Research Networks (if applicable) is done in a timely manner.
• Facilitate and maintain (written and verbal) communication between the PI, research and clinical teams in ensuring that the study protocol is correctly implemented, and research governance standards are met and maintained.
• Ensuring that all equipment used in the trial is appropriately calibrated and that supporting documentation is retained.
• Perform all visits, observations, and clinical procedures such as monitoring vital signs, body measurements, height and weight, ECGs, venipuncture, cannulation, drug administration with the participants in accordance with the procedures and schedule of the study protocol.
• Undertake laboratory work as per study protocols, including processing, packaging, storing and transportation of samples.
• Provide ongoing support to patients and volunteers with regard to their trial participation.
• Ensure that all clinical trial databases and logs are maintained including updating patient recruitment data.
• Ensure protocol amendments are incorporated into research practice in a timely manner.
• Work within the scope of research guidelines, ethical principles and protocols, whilst adhering to organisational policies and procedures.
• Adhere to the confidentiality of patient information at all times, in accordance with the Data Protection Act and Caldicott regulations.

Person Specification
Experience
Essential

• Experience as a qualified registered general nurse
• wide variety of practical clinical experience, preferably both ward and clinic based

Desirable

• Experience working on or supporting clinical trial

Skills & Knowledge
Essential

• Excellent organisational and multitasking skills
• Proven knowledge of safety issues through clinical governance and risk management.
• Excellent communication skills with patients, relatives, staff and external contracts, including in challenging situations, demonstrating respect and kindness
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion

Desirable

• Experience of data collection for quality monitoring/audit

Qualifications
Essential

• Registered General Nurse

Desirable

• GCP Training
• Informed consent training

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.
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.