Job summary
- Main area
- Psychology
- Grade
- Band 5
- Contract
- Fixed term: 24 months (can be offered as a secondment opportunity)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Flexible working available)
- Job ref
- 267-CS7245295
- Employer
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Manzil Way Health Centre
- Town
- Oxford
- Salary
- £29,970 - £36,483 plus an RSU allowance of £1,446 per annum | pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 03/07/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Research Assistant - Thames Valley Women's OPD
Band 5
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust has been rated as Good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
We are a responsive and innovative Foundation Trust that places our values of Caring, Safe and Excellent at the heart of everything we do. We take great pride in our staff and believe that investing in you is key to us achieving our vision of outstanding care delivered by outstanding people.
We work with a wide range of partner organisations to deliver care and support to people in their own homes and from a number of hospitals and community bases. We focus on delivering care as close to home as possible for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset.
We actively support anti-racism, equality, diversity, and inclusion so, if you’re excited about this job opportunity and you meet our Trust values, but feel unsure about applying, then please get in touch and we will be happy to have a conversation with you.
We are also committed to increasing diversity in the workforce, that is why we actively encourage applications from those groups of people who are currently under-represented, which include amongst others: people with disabilities; men from all socio-economic backgrounds; people from diverse ethnic backgrounds; and people from the LGBTQIA+ community.
Good luck and we hope to hear from you.
Job overview
Are you looking for a role in clinical research within Forensic Services?
The Thames Valley Women's Offender Personality Disorder Pathway (WOPD) is a small, multi-disciplinary team which sits within the wider OPD Pathway. We are passionate about supporting women with complex mental health needs to successfully transition out of prison and to thrive in the community.
We are currently seeking a dynamic and self-motivated Research Assistant to support the formal evaluation of an innovative three-year pilot of a new 'Transitional Liaison Mental Health Service.' This initiative focuses on supporting women who present with both significant offending histories and complex mental health needs to successfully navigate the transition from custody to community. This period of physical and psychological transition presents many challenges and is therefore, sadly, all too often associated with poor outcomes, including recall to prison.
The TLMH service provides direct support to the women and also works with other agencies such as the NHS, Adult Social Care and the Third Sector to ensure adequate health and social care provision. You'll also provide key support to the evaluation of the project.
If you have knowledge of mental health/forensic services and a good understanding of research methodology then we'd love to hear from you!
Main duties of the job
Phase One of this role will be a scoping exercise, involving gathering and organising large amounts of data from various sources across HM Prison and Probation Services, to establish the throughflow of women leaving prison, along with their presentations, risk profiles and needs. This will help establish demand and identify the needs of this population in more detail.
Phase Two will involve gathering qualitative feedback from a range of professionals, as well as our female service users, in order to gain more in-depth feedback about their experiences of using this pilot service.
We hope to publish the outcomes of this project.
Other duties will include some administration, including the management of our in-house dataset, which supports the day-to-day running of the service and is used for the production of Quarterly Reports, projects and quality monitoring.
This role will involve a combination of remote working and travel to various probation sites across the Thames Valley area, plus some travel beyond Thames Valley to visit the four women's prisons in the South of England.
Working for our organisation
Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application please read the “candidate guide to making an application” and ensure your supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses any essential criteria.
As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and Northeast Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people’s homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: “Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team”
Our values are: “Caring, safe and excellent”
We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:
• Excellent opportunities for career progression
• Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
• 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
• NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
• Competitive pension scheme
• Lease car scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Mental Health First Aiders
• Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists apply)
• Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- Support the TLMH Lead in identifying, collecting and managing key data for the project.
- Manage a large dataset in Excel and/or SPSS competently and efficiently.
- Provide written reports regarding the progress of the research to the Clinical Lead(s).
- Occasional site visits with the TLMH Lead and/or the Women's Lead to meet key stakeholders and to conduct interviews for the qualitative portion of the project.
- Supporting qualitative data analysis e.g. Thematic Analysis, IPA etc.
- Assisting with the write-up of the project report.
- Managing the in-house Excel spreadsheet to keep track of day-to-day clinical activities and performance.
Please refer to the job description attached for a comprehensive list of duties. Applicants must have a full valid driving licence and have access to a vehicle for work. Adjustments can be considered in line with the Equality Act 2010 where required.
Person specification
Academic & Experience
Essential criteria
- Bachelor's Degree in a Social Science 2:1 or above
- Postgraduate qualification in research methods OR a postgraduate qualification involving a significant piece of research
Knowledge & Experience
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of mental health/forensic settings
- Understanding of research ethics & governance
- Excellent communication skills, both orally and in writing
- Experience of managing large datasets
- Experience in a post-graduate research role
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge/experience of qualitative research analysis
- Understanding of the population in question
Other
Essential criteria
- Full driving licence and access to a car or motorbike
Applicant requirements
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
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Dr Rosie Winder
- Job title
- Women's Lead for Thames Valley OPD Pathway
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07464646507
- Additional information
We would welcome a telephone or MS Teams conversation prior to application. Please contact Dr Rosie Winder, Principle Clinical Psychologist, via the email address above.
At Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust we want to employ people not just with experience, but with the aptitude and motivation to succeed and whose values resonate with our own.
Therefore, if you don’t meet all the requirements of the role and are unsure about applying but are excited about the opportunity, please do get in touch. We will be happy to discuss the requirements in more detail ahead of making a written application.
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