Research Associate

Job summary

Permanent role.

Salary £38,735 per annum

Up to hours per week (negotiable). Minimum 28 hours per week.

LOROS Centre for Excellence, is seeking to appoint an experiencedResearch Associate to join the enthusiastic and motivated research team to workon a number of exciting projects in palliative and end of life care focusing onolder people, family carers and health inequalities. The primary project forthis post will be working on the following 3 year study: Developing effectiveservice models for Adult Palliative and end of life care for People with aLearning disability (DAPPLE).

Main duties of the job

We are particularly interested in applications from researchers withexperience in qualitative research in palliative care and/or with from diverseethnic communities. You will be a good communicator, highly organised, rigorousand accurate in your work, and have excellent writing and IT skills.

The role requires independent travel on a regular basis throughoutLeicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and on occasion, the post holder will berequired to attend meetings in other areas of the country.

The post holder will work with a multidisciplinary team of academics,clinicians, researchers and Patient and Public advisors as well as a range ofexternal partners across Leicester, Leicestershire and beyond.

About us

LOROS Hospiceis a local charity and every year we care for over 2,500 people acrossLeicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. We deliver free, high-quality,compassionate care and support to terminally ill patients, their family andcarers.

Job description

Job responsibilities

JOBPURPOSE:

LOROS is seeking to appoint aResearch Associate tojoin the enthusiastic and motivated research team to work on a number of exciting projects in palliative and end of life carefocusing on older people, family carers and health inequalities. The primaryproject for this post will be working on the following 3 year study: Developingeffective service models for Adult Palliative and end of life care for Peoplewith a Learning disability (DAPPLE).

TheDAPPLE project will start in November 2024 and is funded by the NIHR HS&DRprogramme (NIHR and led by the Kingston University (CI Prof IreneTuffrey-Wijne). The wider project team includes colleagues from the OpenUniversity and University of Leicester. There are also a wide range ofcontributing stakeholders, including policy makers, professional organisations,family carers and self advocacy groups.

Oneof the study work streams involves exploration, comparison and contrasting ofpalliative and end of life care services for people with learning disabilitiesat four study sites, one of which is Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland,hosted at LOROS Hospice. The postholder will be responsible for engagement,participant recruitment, data collection and data analysis. Participant recruitmentand data collection will involve any relevant health or social care services orsettings (including family settings) within the area.

Datacollection involves (1) ethnographic case studies of people with learningdisabilities who are approaching the end of life, their families, carers,professionals, and service provision; and (2) retrospective case studies ofpeople with learning disabilities who have died. Data collection methodsinclude participant observation, interviews, document analysis and field notes.

The postholder will work closely with the widerresearch team, in particular the ethnographic researchers at the other threeStudy Sites, with whom there will be regular meetings for ongoing collectivedata analysis and peer support. As well as co-researchers with learningdisabilities, who are employed by Kingston University as part of the researchteam. The postholder will receive regular supervision and support.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

General Researchactivities

These are the key responsibilities ofthe job; on occasions you may be required to undertake other duties thatcommensurate with your grade.

Proactively supporting the development of research proposals and studyprotocols.

Engagement with patient and public involvement (PPI) representatives andgroups.

Recruitment of participants and consenting to research studies

Interviews with patients, family members and health and social carestaff

Questionnaire and Case Report Form development and design

Tolead in the collection, evaluation, analysis and interpretation of qualitativedata, and work autonomously to attain project milestones.

Conducting desk-based research including literaturereview, rapid evidence assessments, database searches and synthesis

Organising, facilitating and supporting study meetingsand events

Presentinginformation on research progress and outcomes to the research group andrelevant stakeholders.

Supportingpublication and dissemination activity

Responsibilityfor maintaining project site files

DAPPLE Studyactivities

You will be expected to workindependently under the supervision of the Deputy Lead for Research at LOROSHospice who is also the site Research Lead for the DAPPLE study. You will alsowork with others in the LOROS Centre for Excellence research team and supportstudy PIs manage and deliver other projects. Your role will include but not belimited to the following in relation to the DAPPLE study:

Be responsible for all researchactivities related to Study.

Organise and lead stakeholderengagement events, involving local learning disability service providers,palliative care services, primary care services, family carers andself-advocates

Recruit participants for ethnographiccase studies (including participants with learning disabilities) andretrospective case studies (including family carers and professionals).

Carry out participant observation,interviews and document analysis.

Record field notes.

Carry out both independent dataanalysis and collaborative data analysis across Study Sites, using contentanalysis, the framework method, and mind-mapping techniques.

Ensure adherence to study protocol andadministrative requirements.

Ensure efficient and effective datamanagement and data storage.

Monitor project progress to ensure compliancewith and adherence to the project plan and to identify, evaluate and rectifyproblems.

Work with co-researchers with learningdisabilities.

Take an active role in the preparationand publication of data, reports and information, ensuring that these meetlegislative, contractual and ethical requirements.

Support the provision of regular and adhoc information, both written and verbal, to all the project participants,funders, the sponsor and the REC to include annual reports, updates, guidance,commitments and project newsletter/website.

Work with the site Project Lead toensure that the project is meeting its targets, is producing meaningful outputand to predict and plan any changes that warrant requests to changes inprotocol, funding or time. This may include adapting existing or developing newresearch methodologies as needed by the participants profile or throughcircumstances ( pandemic restrictions).

Work collaboratively with the widermulti-disciplinary research team and patient/public representatives, andsupport the project managers.

Prepare and present research findingsfor meetings; including conferences both oral presentations and posterpresentations.

In addition to the postholder will be required to support other projects and will require competencein the following:

Tohave a solid understanding of the application of ICH GCP Guidelines, the EUDirective on Clinical Research and Research Governance. To ensure that all work undertaken is in line with research protocols,ICH GCP, Research Governance guidelines and all relevant organisational SOPs.

Work with the researchteam to support preparation and set-up of the studies, including liaison withprofessionals, Research & Innovation departments, care homes and communityorganisations.

To ensure patients / carers are provided with writteninformation relevant to the research study and are given the opportunity todiscuss the research study at the outset and during the course of the researchtrial in which they are being asked to participate ( informed consent).

To support and assistin the analysis of qualitative data using appropriate software such as NVivo

Presentation of dataincluding the writing up findings and study outputs for different purposes andaudiences including public partners and internal reports.

Torecord and report any adverse events and serious adverse events according totrial protocol and local procedures. Ensuring that safety data is reported as required inaccordance with SOPs and study protocols, and reports send in a timely manner.

Undertaking any researchspecific training required for the role including ICH GCP training and consenttraining. Attending in-service training, conferences and study days at thediscretion of the Research Manager.

In collaboration with the wider team contribute and assist with theproduction of research articles and to project newsletters, websites

To attend meetings, bothinternal and external, to represent the research team as required. Alsoattending meetings and learning sessions having an active role in thepresentation of research information both internally and at national meetings.

To track and report theaccruals on a monthly basis maintaining the recruitment database for allstudies they are involved with.

Contributing to preparation and writing of project reports, papers andother outputs inaccordance with both internal and external requirements.

OTHER KEYWORKING RELATIONSHIPS

LOROSResearch and Education team

LOROSClinical teams including inpatient, outpatient, day care, therapists and CNS

University ofLeicester researchers and collaborators

Person Specification

Skills/Abilities

Essential

Experience of the theory and application of qualitative research relevant to health sciences. Experience in the management and conduct of qualitative research. Experience of undertaking health service and/or clinical research. Demonstrable research abilities in at least some of the following: health services research, qualitative methods, mixed methods. Ability to use data collection and analysis software packages such as Nvivo Excellent communication both written and oral (including electronic and telephone/video-conferencing) with diverse audiences clinicians, managers, academics, service users including learning disabled audiences. Ability to use reference libraries, Endnote, Zotereo Ability and experience with qualitative methods of analysis, thematic analysis, grounded theory or similar. Evidence of problem-solving and decision-making abilities Ability to pay excellent attention to detail, with a thorough, methodical and flexible approach to work. Ability to contribute to report writing, publications, presentations to high standard and the dissemination of information for both academic and other audiences. Experience of organising and leading stakeholder/PPI groups Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex concepts and to collaborate with a range of people. Committed to Continuing Professional Development (CPD), including training relevant to the post Willingness and ability to reflect on own practice Ability to meet tight deadlines. Excellent organisation skills with the ability to manage own workload and prioritise work as necessary. Self-motivation with the ability to work independently. Ability to be responsible for own development and to use own initiative. Able to prioritise and cope with competing pressures. Willingness and ability to cope with sensitive issues, including death and dying Ability to plan own workload and work autonomously. Ability to work independently, and as a member of the research team Ability to work across sites as required. Good organisational and time management skills. Proficient IT skills Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint

Desirable

Experience of using SystmOne. Previous project management skills / experience. Fluent (spoken) in any of the following languages: Gujarati and/or Bengali and/or Hindi and/or others. Experience of using SPSS or other statistical packages for Quantitative research

Knowledge

Essential

Evidence of a sound knowledge of the research process. An excellent publications record including high quality, peer reviewed qualitative research publications. Knowledge of research issues relating to the patient who lacks capacity. Experience of anticipating and resolving problems that may jeopardise the smooth running or deadlines of a research project An understanding of current issues in the UK health and social care system, particularly related to service provision for people with learning disabilities Advanced communication and organisational skills with a track record of engaging with different groups in health and/or social care settings, including people with learning disabilities. An awareness of regulatory requirements around research. Have Knowledge of and comply with the Data Protection legislation / General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Information Governance requirements. An understanding of ethical and confidentiality issues in relation to data collection in ethnographic research

Qualifications

Essential

A higher degree in health services research, social sciences, psychology, sociology, nursing, or related discipline

Desirable

A PhD in a health-related or social scientific discipline or equivalent

Experience

Essential

Research experience in health service research particularly palliative care and Black, Asian and Minority ethnic communities. Experience of identification and recruitment of participants. Experience of handling situations of a sensitive nature for research participants. Experience of working with a range of collaborators and to be able to work at pace.

Desirable

Experience of undertaking research with patients who are in the last year of life. Experience of undertaking ethnographic field work. Experience of working in co-production with people with learning disabilities

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