North London NHS Foundation Trust

Clinical Research Assistant - Mood Disorders Clinic

The closing date is 08 July 2025

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 5 Clinical Research Assistant within the Mood Disorders Research Clinic. The clinic has been created to support and develop clinical trial activity and research in mood disorders in the trust and is part of a national network of research clinics supported by the NIHR funded Mental Health Mission.

The post holder will be chiefly responsible for recruitment and follow-up of trial participants, data acquisition and entering, managing and maintaining trial files, ensuring CRF completeness, supporting bids for new trials; supporting collection and collating clinic data activity, routine data collection from patients, administrative support at the clinic and liaison with related clinical services.

The post holder will report to Prof. Quentin Huys, as well as the Research Delivery Manager for NLFT, and work closely with the trust's research delivery team, as well as the dynamic team of researchers working in the Applied Computational Psychiatry lab at UCL.

The ideal candidate will both have experience in mental health, and in the support of clinical projects including organizing and collecting data. They will need good interpersonal and management skills as they will need to work in a clinical setting (including collecting data from patients) and build effective professional working relationships with clinicians and academics in other departments and Universities.

Main duties of the job

The post-holder will undertake a range of duties that assist in delivering on research studies within the Mood Disorders Clinic and the wider NLFT trust, including but not limited to:

  • Recruiting research participants to studies, mainly focusing within the Mood Disorders Research Clinic.
  • To complete data collection and research studies measures, including questionnaires, structured interviews, bloods samples and EEG.
  • Maintain participant CRF and trial site files.
  • Support assessment of proposed protocols for local implementation in the trust.
  • Support development of appropriate local standard operating procedures according to trial protocols including risk management, and adherence to policies, ICH-Good Clinical Practice and NHS Research Governance Framework.
  • Close collaboration and integration with research delivery team.
  • Adhere to administrative systems and procedures for collection and collation of clinic activity
  • Setup of routine data collection from clinic attendances
  • To actively promote research amongst trust staff, service users, carers, relatives and the public.

About us

North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.Our Five-Year Strategy:

  1. We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.

  2. With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all

  3. We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.

  4. We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.

In order to meet the needs of the Trust you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.

Details

Date posted

03 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 5

Salary

£35,964 to £43,780 a year per annum (inclusive of HCA)

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

455-NLFT-0200

Job locations

NLFT Research Delivery Team / Mood Disorders Research Clinic

1st Floor JML House, Regis Road

London

NW5 3EG


Job description

Job responsibilities

A detailed description of the Research Assistant role and its essential and desirable requirements are provided in the Job Description and Person Specification.

A DBS criminal records check will be required. Some travel around the boroughs of Camden, Islington, Barnet, Enfield, and Haringey will be involved.

Job description

Job responsibilities

A detailed description of the Research Assistant role and its essential and desirable requirements are provided in the Job Description and Person Specification.

A DBS criminal records check will be required. Some travel around the boroughs of Camden, Islington, Barnet, Enfield, and Haringey will be involved.

Person Specification

Qualifications/ Registrations

Essential

  • First degree (2:1 or higher) in psychology or other relevant subject and excellent academic record

Desirable

  • Masters degree qualification in mental health research or other relevant social science
  • Training in Good Clinical Practice

Skills & Abilities

Essential

  • Good knowledge of the principles of research
  • An ability to maintain accurate records, collect clinical data and produce reports
  • High level communication skills (both written and verbal), as well as good interpersonal communication skills
  • Excellent organisational skills, strong time management skills, ability to work to deadlines, self-motivation, and able to work on own initiative
  • Essential IT skills.

Desirable

  • Skills in using research data software e.g. NVivo or SPSS

Experience & Knowledge

Essential

  • Experience working with adults with moderate to severe mental disorders and recruiting participants with anxiety, depression or trauma into research studies
  • Experience of undertaking clinical assessments or conducting interviews in a research or clinical context, using standardized, patient-reported outcome measures (e.g. MADRS, PHQ-9, QIDS)
  • Experience of data management, recording and storing data in line with data protection and GCP requirements
  • Experience of running interviews focus groups and analysing interview data using quantitative methods
  • An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems and other disabilities (through personal, work or other experience)

Desirable

  • Understanding of quantitative research data and statistical analyses
  • Experience working with diverse groups of people

General Requirements

Essential

  • Strong desire to work with people with anxiety, depression and trauma and their carers to facilitate research recruitment
  • The role will require regular travel to multiple sites within the trust, travel across North London (for data collection and meetings) and infrequent travel to national events.
  • Willingness to undertake training in phlebotomy.
Person Specification

Qualifications/ Registrations

Essential

  • First degree (2:1 or higher) in psychology or other relevant subject and excellent academic record

Desirable

  • Masters degree qualification in mental health research or other relevant social science
  • Training in Good Clinical Practice

Skills & Abilities

Essential

  • Good knowledge of the principles of research
  • An ability to maintain accurate records, collect clinical data and produce reports
  • High level communication skills (both written and verbal), as well as good interpersonal communication skills
  • Excellent organisational skills, strong time management skills, ability to work to deadlines, self-motivation, and able to work on own initiative
  • Essential IT skills.

Desirable

  • Skills in using research data software e.g. NVivo or SPSS

Experience & Knowledge

Essential

  • Experience working with adults with moderate to severe mental disorders and recruiting participants with anxiety, depression or trauma into research studies
  • Experience of undertaking clinical assessments or conducting interviews in a research or clinical context, using standardized, patient-reported outcome measures (e.g. MADRS, PHQ-9, QIDS)
  • Experience of data management, recording and storing data in line with data protection and GCP requirements
  • Experience of running interviews focus groups and analysing interview data using quantitative methods
  • An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems and other disabilities (through personal, work or other experience)

Desirable

  • Understanding of quantitative research data and statistical analyses
  • Experience working with diverse groups of people

General Requirements

Essential

  • Strong desire to work with people with anxiety, depression and trauma and their carers to facilitate research recruitment
  • The role will require regular travel to multiple sites within the trust, travel across North London (for data collection and meetings) and infrequent travel to national events.
  • Willingness to undertake training in phlebotomy.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

North London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

NLFT Research Delivery Team / Mood Disorders Research Clinic

1st Floor JML House, Regis Road

London

NW5 3EG


Employer's website

https://www.northlondonmentalhealth.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

North London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

NLFT Research Delivery Team / Mood Disorders Research Clinic

1st Floor JML House, Regis Road

London

NW5 3EG


Employer's website

https://www.northlondonmentalhealth.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Research Delivery Manager

Tom Freeth

thomas.freeth@nhs.net

Details

Date posted

03 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 5

Salary

£35,964 to £43,780 a year per annum (inclusive of HCA)

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

455-NLFT-0200

Job locations

NLFT Research Delivery Team / Mood Disorders Research Clinic

1st Floor JML House, Regis Road

London

NW5 3EG


Supporting documents

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