Research active hospitals have better outcomes. Patients have better experience, feel more involved in their care and have greater levels of trust in health professionals. Staff involved in research report greater job satisfaction and are more likely to stay in the NHS. If you want to get started or progress a career in research, read-on for some exciting opportunities.
Research Education Hub
The Research Education Hub has been developed as a central place for research education for all staff across our hospitals. The ‘Research for All’ section offers a wide range of research education opportunities available to everyone at whatever stage of their involvement or ambition for involvement in research. Contact us for more info: [email protected]
Good Clinical Practice (GCP)
GCP is the agreed international standard for conducting clinical research. Good Clinical Practice Training is required for researchers conducting Clinical Trials of Investigational Medicinal Products (CTIMPs). Courses are CPD accredited and free. It’s recommended do a refresher every 2-3 years.
You can register to NIHR Learn with your nhs.net email address to browse GCP courses. You need to log in to see them.
Courses for GCP certification:
- Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Introduction E-Learning
- Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Refresher E-Learning
- Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Introduction Consolidation Workshop (Virtual or Face to Face Facilitated Delivery)
For additional support, visit the Good Clinical Practice (GCP) website.
Associate Principal Investigator Scheme
Open to any health and care professional this is a six-month NIHR scheme where you can contribute to the conduct and delivery of a national NIHR study. You work with and are mentored by the Local principle investigator (PI). The PI will help you to understand what the PI role entails and the processes of research delivery from start to finish. You complete a learning pathway on NIHR Learn, including a range of study activities. At the end you will be issued a certificate confirming Associate PI status, which can be added to your training portfolio.
Sign up to NIHR Learn to find the scheme. First time users, click on ‘Create account’ and register with your nhs.net email address.
Please contact associate PI scheme champion, Emma Sexton for more details.
Research Careers
Developing Clinical Academic roles are vital to ensure we have staff who are confident to use, generate and share research evidence. They can help increase the benefits of research in everyday health and care and can act as catalysts for the development of excellent evidence-based healthcare. They are in the ideal place to ask questions, seek answers and develop and share important research findings that impact health and care outcomes for all, so we need more in our workforce.
National opportunities for clinical academic training funded by the NIHR. Regional NIHR Integrated Academic Training (IAT) opportunities include ACF positions, give 25% research training time. However, providing local opportunities can also help support our staff to develop their careers as well as carrying out research that is likely to benefit our Sussex population and help to build collaborations with our local partners in academia and health and care. At UHSussex, developing our people and enabling more health and care professionals to develop research careers is at the heart of our Research and Innovation Strategy.
My University Hospitals Sussex, the dedicated Trust Charity, has generously awarded significant funding to support development of local researchers, from those new to research to those embarking on PhDs, to provide long-term research capacity to benefit our Sussex population.
Internships
If you are enthusiastic and keen to be more involved in research, but don’t currently have experience or have basic experience and would like to develop this, then the My University Hospitals Sussex Research Internship Award might be for you. This 12 month programme provides 7.5 hrs/week of backfilled time alongside your clinical role to support you in developing your research ideas and skills and taking the first steps on a clinical academic career journey.
Accelerator Awards
The My UHSussex Research Accelerator Award is a personal award for individuals preparing to apply for a doctoral or post-doctoral fellowship. This award includes salary backfill at basic rate for clinical role of up to 18.75hrs per week for 12 months (eligible range AfC B5-8A, Doctors up to ST5). Individuals will have already identified an idea and have experience in research but require time to shape the idea into a robust proposal and assemble an appropriate supervisory team.
Accelerator Award
Dr Daisy Woolham – Daisy is a ID/Microbiology registrar and has just commenced her one-year Accelerator Award whilst preparing a PhD application looking at Bacteraemia’s in local hard to reach populations.
Doctoral Fellowships
Doctoral Fellowship awards are for outstanding individuals to undertake a period of research training towards an MD or PhD. The aim is to in increase opportunities for patients and staff at the Trust to participate in research that improves the quality of the care we provide. The scheme creates opportunities to research local priorities to meet the needs of our patients. Fellows are funded to take 2-3 years out of their clinical training and undertake a dedicated period of research, subject to agreement from their training programme director (depending on the specialty most require at least 6 months prior notice), or line manager. These posts are open to any KSS resident doctor, nurse or allied health professional. These prestigious Fellowship Awards require the applicant to fill out an EOI and subsequent application. It is expected candidates will already have acquired significant research experience including peer-reviewed publications. Applicants whose research proposal fits with local priority areas will be invited to interview.
Doctoral Fellows
Dr Jonathan Golding – a Diabetes & Endocrinology registrar, Jonathan is coming to the end of a PhD on Type 1 Diabetes & frailty. Hear more from Dr Jonathan Golding.
Dr Todd Leckie – an anaesthetics and intensive care registrar, Todd has recently completed an MD on digital prehabilitation in patients undergoing major surgery for colorectal cancer. Hear more from Dr Todd Leckie.
Dr Stephen Robinson – an Oncology registrar, Stephen is doing a PhD on liquid biopsy, a simple blood test to detect and monitor brain metastases at the University of Sussex. Hear more from Dr Stephen Robinson.
How to apply
Ensure an experienced supervisory team has been assembled, who can ensure the project is feasible and has appropriate, rigorous methodology. It is expected that the individual will have identified a university institution to register with for the PhD/MD.
For further information contact: [email protected].
Each of our divisions also has a research director who can discuss your ideas with.
Meet the team