Job overview

This role sits at the heart of an exciting strategic partnership between KMMH, and a number of GP practices in Kent & Medway, established to embed research capacity within community mental health services across east Kent and Swale. These GP practices deliver the Primary Care Mental Health Service (PCMHS), supporting over 5,000 people annually, many from coastal communities that are among England’s most deprived and historically under-represented in research.

The post holder will lead the delivery of clinical research studies across these primary care settings, working 0.8 WTE shared across practices. You will be responsible for the identification, recruitment, delivery and follow-up of research participants in accordance with study protocols, ensuring research is conducted safely, ethically and to the highest standards. Working under the mentorship and supervision of the KMMH Research Development Lead & Research Delivery Leads, you will help build the research capability and governance infrastructure needed to make these GP practices research-active, sustainable partners and help us live our values every day.

Please note there will be regular travel between GP sites, so a driver would be preferred.

Main duties of the job

•       Work with GP practice leadership to incorporate research governance into quality assurance frameworks and operational policies, embedding research into business-as-usual activity.

•        Contribute to the development and approval of site-level SOPs and readiness processes to achieve research-ready status within participating practices.

•        Lead and manage the delivery of clinical research studies across both GP practice sites, including screening, recruitment (including obtaining informed consent), delivering interventions, follow-ups, data management, and sample collection and processing.

•        Accurately perform and record participant assessments and physiological measurements as required by study protocols, including venepuncture, blood pressure, urinalysis, weight and height.

•        Manage multiple concurrent studies across both sites, requiring flexibility and adjustment of priorities according to demand and study timelines.

•        Ensure accurate collection and maintenance of all research records using appropriate manual and computerised systems, enabling data verification and audit.

•        Report adverse and serious adverse events appropriately and in a timely manner in accordance with regulatory requirements.

•        Implement culturally sensitive recruitment strategies, co-developed with the Community Research Advisory Group, to overcome barriers to participation for under-served populations.

Working for our organisation

We are the Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway.

Our teams support adults with a wide range of mental health needs. Because we cover the whole county and both hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access for the 1.8 million people of Kent and Medway. Rated ‘Good’ by the CQC, we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 in the community each year.

Our vision is simple: We are here to help communities not just live with mental illness, but live well. It’s why we’re passionate about working with communities to make mental health care better for everyone. And everything we do is guided by our values caring, inclusive, curious and confident.

Join us - if you share our passion for better mental health care and want to be part of a team that’s doing well together.