YH RRDN Specialty and Settings Leads advert

  • Published: 9 August 2024
  • Version: VFinal
  • 4 min read

NIHR Regional Research Specialty & Settings (RRSL) Lead appointments

A new opportunity to apply to work in the new NIHR Regional Research Delivery Network for Yorkshire & Humber  – via an Expression of Interest

The RRDN Yorkshire & Humber will be one of 12 Networks which will replace the existing Local Clinical Research Networks (LCRNs) throughout the country from 1 October 2024 and will support the effective and efficient initiation and delivery of funded research across the health and care system in England for the benefit of patients, the health and care system and the economy.

The Specialties and Settings function will play a key leadership role in the on-going development and performance of the RDN. The function will provide leadership and advice, support research delivery, and participation in regional or national projects relating to Specialty or Setting capacity, capability and accessibility for research delivery.

RDN Settings:

Hospitals: meaning NHS acute, mental health and pre-hospital care - including all NHS Trusts (except for NHS Community Trusts)

Primary care: including settings outside of general practice (for example, ophthalmology, audiology, dental)

Community-based: including, for example, NHS Community Trusts, local authority settings, preventative activities, home-based care, community care teams, schools, social care delivered outside of care homes and hospital settings, and social work services

Residential care: including, for example, care homes and hospices.

RDN Specialties:

  1. Ageing
  2. Children
  3. Dementia and Neurodegeneration
  4. Dermatology
  5. Musculoskeletal and Orthopaedics
  6. Neurology
  7. Palliative Care

ROLE SUMMARY

The Specialties and Settings function will play a key leadership role in the on-going development and performance of the RDN. As part of this function, Regional Research Specialty and Setting Leads, will provide leadership and advice, support research delivery, and participate in regional or national projects relating to Specialty or Setting capacity, capability and accessibility for research delivery. The Regional Research Specialty and Setting Leads provide the vital link between the regional, geographically-based networks (RRDNs) and national networks of expertise which is essential to the success of the RDN.

ROLE OUTLINE

Activities for these regional level roles will broadly include:

  • Strategic oversight of the RDN Portfolio
  • Support the RDN Study Support Service in the planning, placement and performance monitoring of studies
  • Support funders and sponsors in study design to optimise deliverability, including providing early feedback on protocols
  • Building regional capacity and capability for study delivery in your Specialty [or setting].
  • Embedding research, engagement and delivery into the NHS and wider care environment.
  • Initiating, facilitating and promoting regional cross-specialty and cross-setting collaborations for improved research delivery.
  • Contributing to national and regional RDN strategic development for research delivery
  • Keeping up to date with innovative study design and delivery methods.
  • Acting as regional NIHR RDN Ambassadors

ROLE OF RDN

From October 2024, the current NIHR Clinical Research Network will be changing to become the NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN). The RDN will continue to support the effective and efficient initiation and delivery of funded research across the health and care system in England for the benefit of patients, the health and care system and the economy, with a name that better reflects the scope and purpose of the network to support:

  • Clinical trials and other well-designed health and social care research studies which are delivered across all health and care settings;
  • Public health studies that require the recruitment of individuals within an NHS setting (that is, acute, ambulance, mental health, community or primary care) or an episode of care which involves contact with the NHS.

The whole of England will be supported through 12 NIHR Regional Research Delivery Networks (RRDNs). These will work with the national RDNCC to provide a joint RDN leadership function so that the NIHR RDN as a whole functions as a single organisation with a shared vision and purpose across England. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust will be the Host Organisation for the Yorkshire & Humber RRDN region.

The NIHR RRDNs will have three key roles. 

  • First, to provide support to research sites to enable the effective and efficient initiation and delivery of funded research across the health and care system in England. 
  • Second, to enable the strategic development of new and more effective research delivery capability and capacity. This will include bringing research to under-served regions and communities with major health and care needs. 
  • Third, to work jointly with the RDNCC in the strategic oversight of the NIHR RDN.  This will ensure that the Portfolio is maintained as a cohort of high-quality, fully-funded, viable and deliverable studies. It will also ensure that the NIHR RDN as a whole serves the needs of researchers and R&D teams and is responsive to the changing domestic and global environment for health and care, life sciences and health research.

APPLICATION & APPOINTMENT PROCESS

These positions are remunerated as advertised:

  • 05WTE/0.5 PA per specialty for Regional Research Speciality Leads
  • 1WTE/1 PA for Regional Research Settings Leads

If you would like to apply for any of the above roles please submit a short (2-page) CV, along with a completed Expression of Interest (attached) to admin.crnyorkshumber@nihr.ac.uk by 30th August 2024 at 5:00 pm.  We would appreciate it if you could also complete an Equality and Diversity Form.

Joint Applications

If you would like to share the role and funding with another individual, then please ensure a single Expression of Interest is submitted with the involvement of all applicants clearly articulating responsibilities and ways of working across the region and with the NIHR Research Delivery Network.

We would encourage you to use additional data about the specialty from the NIHR Open Data Platform which can be found here.

https://sites.google.com/nihr.ac.uk/crn-yorkshirehumber-intranet/home/performancereports/specialty-performance

We would recommend that you agree in advance of applying for the role with your manager whether you will be directly remunerated or whether other adjustments would need to be made to your job plan.

Shortlisting will be based on the suitability of candidates from their CV and from detail of the understanding and plans for the role as highlighted in the expression of interest.  Formal interviews will be conducted on 23rd September and 24th September 2024. Posts will be appointed for the duration of RRDN contract, subject to annual performance review.

Informal Enquiries

Research Specialty Lead posts - Alistair Hall, NIHR RRDN Medical Health and Care Director,  alistair.hall@nihr.ac.uk

Research Setting Lead posts - Gail Mills, NIHR RRDN NMAHP Health and Care Director, gail.mills@nihr.ac.uk

Alistair and Gail will be holding an informal Q&A session on 27th August 2024, 13:00 - 13:30 via MS Teams. Please feel free to join the session if you have any specific questions about the above roles.