Skip to main content
Please wait, loading

Job summary

Main area
Respiratory Medicine Clinical Trials
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 7
Contract
Fixed term: 24 months (in the first instance)
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (some out of hours and weekend work depending on trial activity)
Job ref
196-RD370E
Employer
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Royal Brompton Hospital
Town
Chelsea
Salary
£56,276 - £63,176 per annum inc. H.C.A.
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
05/10/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust logo

Early Phase CTAP Clinical Research Practitioner

NHS AfC: Band 7

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

This specialist role focuses on early phase CF trials, working alongside the existing CTAP Trial Coordinator and integrating into the local clinical and research teams to improve trial access for the CF community.

The postholder will work closely with:

  • Local CF Clinical and Research Teams – to coordinate and deliver early phase CF trials within the Trust.
  • CTAP Trial Coordinator – to ensure alignment and collaboration across early and later phase trials.
  • CTAP Programme Team (Cystic Fibrosis Trust) – for strategic guidance, reporting, and network-wide coordination.
    Other CTAP Early Phase Centres and Affiliate Sites – to facilitate referrals, share best practices, and support national trial delivery.
    Research & Development Departments – to ensure compliance with governance and regulatory requirements.
  • Trial Sponsors and CROs – to support trial setup, feasibility, and ongoing delivery.
  • Patients and Families – to provide information, support, and facilitate participation in clinical trials.
  • Training and Education Leads – to deliver mentorship and training to other CTAP centres preparing for early phase trial readiness

Main duties of the job

Key responsibilities include:

  • Supporting the delivery of early phase CF clinical trials within the CTAP Early Phase Sub-Network.
  • Optimising use of the CTAP Patient Identification Centre (PIC) model.
  • Facilitating research referrals in collaboration with other CTAP Centres, Affiliate Centres, and CF units.
  • Leading training, mentorship, and education initiatives to help other CTAP centres become ‘phase 1 ready’.
  • Assisting with later phase CF trials locally during quieter periods.
    Contributing to non-CF early phase trials to support professional development and broaden early phase trial experience.

Working for our organisation

This post is based within the Royal Brompton Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Clinical Trials Department, a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, academics, allied health professionals, and administrative staff. Led by Professors Davies, Simmonds, and colleagues, the adult and paediatric CF centres conduct internationally recognised, multicentre interventional and observational studies across all age groups. The department plays a key role in early phase research through its involvement in the CF Trusts CTAP Early Phase Sub-Network (https://www.cysticfibrosis.org.uk/research/clinical-trials/clinical-trials-accelerator-platform), a specialist group of centres established by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust to lead early phase CF trials across the UK. With CF care advancing rapidly and new treatments emerging, access to clinical trials is increasingly vital. CTAP supports trial sponsors and CF centres in the setup and delivery of studies across a network of 20 centres, including Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Trust. Based near the vibrant King’s Road in Chelsea, this role offers excellent opportunities for collaboration and professional development within a dynamic clinical and research environment.

We encourage and support applicants in applicable career progression as a clinical research practitioner/research nurse including attendance at courses, seminars and conferences.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Communication & Coordination

  • Act as the primary contact for research teams and clinical colleagues, ensuring smooth trial delivery.
  • Liaise with internal and external stakeholders, including the CTAP Programme Team, trial sponsors, and CF centres.
  • Communicate complex and sensitive information to patients and carers, offering support and guidance.
  • Attend site initiation visits, manage trial approvals, and report serious adverse events.
  • Promote CF trials at meetings and contribute to team discussions and updates.

Patient Care & Trial Delivery

  • Independently assess and recruit patients, manage study protocols, and ensure accurate data collection.
  • Conduct health assessments (e.g. spirometry, ECG, sample collection) and administer study drugs.
  • Maintain documentation to GCP and Trust standards, and support monitoring visits.

Policy & Service Development

  • Draft and maintain study documentation (SOPs, CRFs) and support protocol development.
  • Monitor recruitment and retention, addressing issues with the CTAP national team
  • Ensure compliance with research governance and relevant legislation.
  • Stay updated on regulatory changes and contribute to service improvements.

Resource Management

  • Support feasibility assessments and portfolio expansion.
  • Coordinate CF research projects, monitor progress, and manage documentation systems.
  • Identify recruitment barriers and liaise with relevant teams to resolve them.
  • Manage equipment procurement and facilitate audits and inspections.

People Management

  • Oversee daily trial operations and coordinate multidisciplinary staff involvement.
  • Lead training and mentorship to support CTAP centres becoming ‘phase 1 ready’.
  • Ensure staff are trained and delegated appropriately; support induction of new team members.

Information Management

  • Use multiple data platforms to manage trial data accurately and efficiently.
  • Oversee data entry, verification, and reporting; troubleshoot system and data issues.
  • Manage archiving and ensure compliance with data protection and IT policies.
  • Coordinate quarterly metric reporting to the CTAP Coordinating Team.

Research & Development

  • Lead audits and implement improvements based on governance standards.
  • Apply learning from existing studies to enhance future trial delivery.
    Collaborate with clinical teams to develop services and promote research impact.

Other Duties

Be available for occasional night shifts and weekend cover.
Undertake other duties appropriate to the role and grade as required.

Person specification

Previous experience

Essential criteria
  • Clinical or clinical research experience
Desirable criteria
  • Nursing qualification

Qualifications/ Education

Essential criteria
  • Educated to or working towards Post-Graduate Degree level or equivalent experience.
Desirable criteria
  • Specialist qualification relevant to the role. Recognised qualification in teaching/mentorship or leadership/management

Skills/Knowledge/ Ability

Essential criteria
  • Knowledge of Research Governance Framework (RGF), International Conference on Harmonisation/Good Clinical Practice (ICH/GCP)
Desirable criteria
  • Knowledge of CF, bronchiectasis and host defence clinically and within the research environment

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Timewise helps businesses to attract and develop the best talent through flexible working.Care quality commission - GoodDisability confident employer

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

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Clare Saunders
Job title
Research Service Lead
Email address
[email protected]