Job summary
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is Europe's largest comprehensive cancer centre, internationally renowned for excellence in cancer care, research, education, and innovation. In partnership with the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), we are recognised globally as one of the top five centres for the impact of cancer research, and form the only National Institute for Health and Care Research Biomedical Research Centre for Cancer.
We deliver one of the largest portfolios of interventional cancer clinical trials in Europe, recruiting the most patients to early-phase trials of any UK organisation. We have over 900 clinical research studies open at any one time (including 575 early phase and translational studies), of which 40% are led from The Royal Marsden. This covers the full spectrum of diagnosis, treatment, and care - including cancer vaccine trials, cellular therapy, radiotherapy, AI and imaging, and surgery. We have an international track-record of successfully delivering trials of new cancer drugs from First-in-Human, Phase I through to Phase II, and onwards to Phase III, regularly achieving first patient recruited to trials nationally and globally. We have the largest portfolio of cancer clinical trials in the country, we recruit more patients to early phase clinical trials than any other NHS Trust.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will lead a project to enable trial participation for our private patients; specifically for our insured and embassy-funded patients (but not self-pay due to the ethical challenges). This will involve an initial discovery phase, talking to trial sponsors, private patient payors (Private Medical Insurers and Embassies) and R&D leads to understand the full range of barriers to enrolling private patients in our trials. It will also involve learning from international centres who have managed to successfully implement systems of private patient enrolment, such as the Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute. It will then require the development of appropriate solutions for the RM context and a clear roadmap for implementing these.
About us
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals - one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey - as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.
At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.
At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For further information on this role, please see the attached detailed Job Description and Person Specification:
- To comprehensively map the current range of barriers to Private Patients enrolling in clinical trials at the Royal Marsden, seeking input from Private Medical Insurers, Embassies, R&D leads, Private Care Division leads, and patients and their families.
- Understand how these issues have been addressed successfully in other centres, assessing the appropriateness of these solutions to the Royal Marsdens context.
- Engage with trial sponsors to understand their views and preferences, exploring in particular how the large number of international patients treated at RM could add valuable demographic diversity.
- Discuss with trial sponsors and embassies the options for ensuring international patients can continue to adhere to trial protocols even through follow-up.
- Create a clear benefits case for the inclusion of Private Patients in RM trials, from the perspective of the trust, trial sponsors, payors and patients.
- Lead conversations, alongside colleagues from the Private Care Division, with Private Medical Insurers and Embassies around how private patients could be supported to enter trials focusing on the financial, logistical, and any other key implications.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For further information on this role, please see the attached detailed Job Description and Person Specification:
- To comprehensively map the current range of barriers to Private Patients enrolling in clinical trials at the Royal Marsden, seeking input from Private Medical Insurers, Embassies, R&D leads, Private Care Division leads, and patients and their families.
- Understand how these issues have been addressed successfully in other centres, assessing the appropriateness of these solutions to the Royal Marsdens context.
- Engage with trial sponsors to understand their views and preferences, exploring in particular how the large number of international patients treated at RM could add valuable demographic diversity.
- Discuss with trial sponsors and embassies the options for ensuring international patients can continue to adhere to trial protocols even through follow-up.
- Create a clear benefits case for the inclusion of Private Patients in RM trials, from the perspective of the trust, trial sponsors, payors and patients.
- Lead conversations, alongside colleagues from the Private Care Division, with Private Medical Insurers and Embassies around how private patients could be supported to enter trials focusing on the financial, logistical, and any other key implications.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Higher degree qualification (e.g. MSc) in a relevant subject or role or equivalent experience.
- Recognised Good Clinical Practice certification.
- Commitment to continued professional development.
Desirable
- Project management qualification (e.g. PRINCE 2).
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience of working in an NHS or HEI environment.
- Extensive experience of working in clinical research ideally in a governance or clinical operations role.
- Extensive experience and excellent skills in project and programme/change management.
- Experience of cross-organisational working and managing multiple senior stakeholders in research projects and programmes.
- Outstanding communication and diplomacy skills.
- Experience of working with staff from a range of backgrounds and different levels of seniority.
- Good experience of managing change.
- Experience of leading and managing meetings and producing reports.
Skills / knowledge
Essential
- Able to work unsupervised, managing and prioritising workload, meeting deadlines and exercising initiative.
- Able to analyse and communicate complex issues to staff at all levels.
- Excellent written and verbal skills and to produce clear written and verbal reports.
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- Strong leadership skills.
- Able to build effective relationships with a wide range of people.
- Innovative and creative thinker.
- Able to network effectively.
- Able to represent The Royal Marsden and The Institute of Cancer Research externally.
- Effective planning and organisational skills.
- Able to work under pressure and handle working on a wide range of areas simultaneously.
- General IT skills - databases, spreadsheets etc.
- Good attention to detail.
- Extensive expert knowledge of legal, ethical, managerial and regulatory requirements for clinical trials and studies.
- Knowledge of developing budgets for clinical trials and the need for full cost recovery.
- A detailed understanding of the clinical trials approval process to conduct clinical research in the UK.
- Knowledge of the requirements of clinical trials and clinical research projects during their life-cycle especially at the start-up stage.
Other requirements
Essential
- Flexible attitude and capable of dealing with changing working conditions.
- Able to work on both sites and to be flexible to meet the needs of the role.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Higher degree qualification (e.g. MSc) in a relevant subject or role or equivalent experience.
- Recognised Good Clinical Practice certification.
- Commitment to continued professional development.
Desirable
- Project management qualification (e.g. PRINCE 2).
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience of working in an NHS or HEI environment.
- Extensive experience of working in clinical research ideally in a governance or clinical operations role.
- Extensive experience and excellent skills in project and programme/change management.
- Experience of cross-organisational working and managing multiple senior stakeholders in research projects and programmes.
- Outstanding communication and diplomacy skills.
- Experience of working with staff from a range of backgrounds and different levels of seniority.
- Good experience of managing change.
- Experience of leading and managing meetings and producing reports.
Skills / knowledge
Essential
- Able to work unsupervised, managing and prioritising workload, meeting deadlines and exercising initiative.
- Able to analyse and communicate complex issues to staff at all levels.
- Excellent written and verbal skills and to produce clear written and verbal reports.
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- Strong leadership skills.
- Able to build effective relationships with a wide range of people.
- Innovative and creative thinker.
- Able to network effectively.
- Able to represent The Royal Marsden and The Institute of Cancer Research externally.
- Effective planning and organisational skills.
- Able to work under pressure and handle working on a wide range of areas simultaneously.
- General IT skills - databases, spreadsheets etc.
- Good attention to detail.
- Extensive expert knowledge of legal, ethical, managerial and regulatory requirements for clinical trials and studies.
- Knowledge of developing budgets for clinical trials and the need for full cost recovery.
- A detailed understanding of the clinical trials approval process to conduct clinical research in the UK.
- Knowledge of the requirements of clinical trials and clinical research projects during their life-cycle especially at the start-up stage.
Other requirements
Essential
- Flexible attitude and capable of dealing with changing working conditions.
- Able to work on both sites and to be flexible to meet the needs of the role.
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.
