Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Band 5 R&D Research Assistant - Lets Talk 2

The closing date is 28 August 2025

Job summary

AWP Trust is pleased to offer this very exciting opportunity to join a Multi-Centre research team for a trial calledLets Talk 2.

This is a initially full time 12 month fixed term contract (37.5 hours per week)starting in October 2025.

The Let's Talk 2 trial is a 32-month randomised controlled trial, jointly led by The Psychosis Research Unit at GMMH NHS. Let's Talk 2 builds on the success of Lets Talk 1 and their track record of collaborative research on psychosocial interventions for people with experience of psychosis by evaluating the possible benefits of a peer-delivered intervention called Let's Talk which aims to aid mental health disclosure decision making. The study will compare the Let's Talk peer-delivered intervention to standard care from Early Intervention in Psychosis Services and Community Mental Health Teams.

The study will be conducted across four areas in the UK including here at Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP).

You should have a good first degree in Psychology (at least a 2:1); some experience of working in a mental health setting as an assistant psychologist or research assistant; and an interest in psychosis/bipolar disorder and knowledge of audit, research design and data analysis is also essential. Experience of using a structured psychiatric interview would be advantageous.

Main duties of the job

Youwill be part of the Let's Talk 2 trial Team in AWP, responsible for liaison with clinical services and voluntary services across the entire footprint of the Trust spanning 6 localities and 100 sites. You will be expected to raise the profile of the study and aid recruitment of trial participants, conducting semi-structed interview assessments and administering other psychometric questionnaires with people with experience of psychosis and who report internalised stigma.

Full training will be provided by the GMMH Let's Talk 2 Trial Team. Most importantly, you will need to be enthusiastic about the research area and have a high level of motivation and commitment.

About us

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust) a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care. We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.

Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Details

Date posted

14 August 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 5

Salary

£31,049 to £37,796 a year

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

342-CS076-0825

Job locations

Blackberry Hill Hospital or Bath NHS House (to be confirmed at interview)

Research & Development

BS16 2EW


Job description

Job responsibilities

To deliver research aspects of the trial including;

  • Set-up and close down of the trial
  • To contribute to the screening and recruitment of patients with psychosis and young people at ultra-high risk of psychosis. This will involve speaking to referrers regularly, attending clinical team meetings, visiting community mental health teams and hospital wards. There are monthly recruitment targets.
  • Completing eligibility screening assessments and seeking informed consent
  • Arranging and carrying out assessments for the trials, on a range of measures at various time points
  • Produce regular reports on recruitment targets and process (including managing the recruitment database) and assessments
  • Travel across the large geographical area both to clinical teams and patient homes, which would be facilitated by having valid driving licence, and access to own or other independent means of transport.
  • Good record-keeping and ensuring the site file is compliant with GCP, in line with trial and Trust protocols
  • Administrative duties related to the project, including regularly entering and checking data in the study databases
  • Other duties appropriate to the grade as directed by the grant-holders.
  • Attendance at supervision will be expected, and at appropriate research team meetings, including at the lead site (GMMH)
  • Will need to work some irregular hours occasionally to fit with patient availability
  • Work within the guidelines set out by the Data Protection Act, the Code of Ethics, and with full understanding of confidentiality issues
  • You will need to follow standard operational procedures for the trial and NHS Trust policy regarding safeguarding of vulnerable adults and children.
  • Contribute towards consistent and safe practices by being aware of and adhering to all the relevant Trust policies and procedures.

Job description

Job responsibilities

To deliver research aspects of the trial including;

  • Set-up and close down of the trial
  • To contribute to the screening and recruitment of patients with psychosis and young people at ultra-high risk of psychosis. This will involve speaking to referrers regularly, attending clinical team meetings, visiting community mental health teams and hospital wards. There are monthly recruitment targets.
  • Completing eligibility screening assessments and seeking informed consent
  • Arranging and carrying out assessments for the trials, on a range of measures at various time points
  • Produce regular reports on recruitment targets and process (including managing the recruitment database) and assessments
  • Travel across the large geographical area both to clinical teams and patient homes, which would be facilitated by having valid driving licence, and access to own or other independent means of transport.
  • Good record-keeping and ensuring the site file is compliant with GCP, in line with trial and Trust protocols
  • Administrative duties related to the project, including regularly entering and checking data in the study databases
  • Other duties appropriate to the grade as directed by the grant-holders.
  • Attendance at supervision will be expected, and at appropriate research team meetings, including at the lead site (GMMH)
  • Will need to work some irregular hours occasionally to fit with patient availability
  • Work within the guidelines set out by the Data Protection Act, the Code of Ethics, and with full understanding of confidentiality issues
  • You will need to follow standard operational procedures for the trial and NHS Trust policy regarding safeguarding of vulnerable adults and children.
  • Contribute towards consistent and safe practices by being aware of and adhering to all the relevant Trust policies and procedures.

Person Specification

Professional Qualification

Essential

  • Minimum of a undergraduate degree or equivalent in a psychological, health or social care discipline

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of working with service users with mental health, dementia or neurodegenerative diseases conditions and their carers.
  • Familiarity with the issues surrounding clinical data, particularly confidentiality.
  • Previous experience of working with a multidisciplinary team in a healthcare environment

Desirable

  • Previous clinical research experience

Skills & Knowledge

Essential

  • High level of interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills to work with clinical and management colleagues at all levels across a range of organisations.
  • Evidence of accuracy and attention to detail in data collection (e.g., research / service evaluation / audit)
  • Familiarity with the issues surrounding clinical data, particularly confidentiality

Desirable

  • Understanding of clinical trials in the field of mental health/dementia
Person Specification

Professional Qualification

Essential

  • Minimum of a undergraduate degree or equivalent in a psychological, health or social care discipline

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of working with service users with mental health, dementia or neurodegenerative diseases conditions and their carers.
  • Familiarity with the issues surrounding clinical data, particularly confidentiality.
  • Previous experience of working with a multidisciplinary team in a healthcare environment

Desirable

  • Previous clinical research experience

Skills & Knowledge

Essential

  • High level of interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills to work with clinical and management colleagues at all levels across a range of organisations.
  • Evidence of accuracy and attention to detail in data collection (e.g., research / service evaluation / audit)
  • Familiarity with the issues surrounding clinical data, particularly confidentiality

Desirable

  • Understanding of clinical trials in the field of mental health/dementia

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Address

Blackberry Hill Hospital or Bath NHS House (to be confirmed at interview)

Research & Development

BS16 2EW


Employer's website

http://www.awp.nhs.uk/about-us/working-for-us/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Address

Blackberry Hill Hospital or Bath NHS House (to be confirmed at interview)

Research & Development

BS16 2EW


Employer's website

http://www.awp.nhs.uk/about-us/working-for-us/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Research Manager

Monalisa Bora-White

monalisa.bora-white@nhs.net

Details

Date posted

14 August 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 5

Salary

£31,049 to £37,796 a year

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

342-CS076-0825

Job locations

Blackberry Hill Hospital or Bath NHS House (to be confirmed at interview)

Research & Development

BS16 2EW


Supporting documents

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